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1549304003
| 9781549304002
| 1549304003
| 4.27
| 74,030
| May 28, 2019
| May 28, 2019
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it was amazing
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I remember when I realized I never had to have children. It was like walking out of a narrow alley into a wide open field. I never have to get married
I remember when I realized I never had to have children. It was like walking out of a narrow alley into a wide open field. I never have to get married. I never have to date anyone. I don't even have to care about sex. These realizations were like gifts that I gave to myself. pg. 178 This is a relatable, well-written memoir by nonbinary author Maia Kobabe. [image] I read it because of all the kerfuffle - this is the number one in banned/challenged books in America right now and I wanted to know why. Reading hysterical accounts of it being 'pornography' online obviously did not answer any of my questions. So I read it, and I found it delightful. Clear, helpful, and written by an author who is relatable. WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING IT IS RELATABLE, CARMEN? YOU ARE NOT QUEER. Ok, sometimes I doubt these 'conservatives' are actually reading the material they are foaming at the mouth to ban. Yes, this book is an INCREDIBLE and reassuring resource to teenagers (I would say 12 or 13+) who may be struggling with feelings about their gender or maybe worried that they are not sexual enough (Kobabe is asexual). It's SO important to see another person (in this case, Kobabe) wrestling with the same issues, questioning why e doesn't have a strong sex drive, questioning why e feels like neither a boy nor a girl. [image] But honestly, EVERYONE should read this book. EVERYONE. For two reasons. 1.) I think one of the big obstacles against the LGBTQIA+ community is straight, cisgendered people not really understanding what any of the letter-soup is. A lot of straight cisgender people might be a bit frightened of LGBTQIA+ people, not understanding them is a huge part of this. The fear and even disgust straight cisgender people may feel when confronted with 'scary queer folk' (especially in the narrative pushed by the right currently, about all non-straight people being pedophiles and etc. etc.) can be ameliorated. IT CAN BE AMELIORATED. It doesn't have to lead to hatred. Simply introducing queer characters into media has helped with this A LOT. Representation matters. Will & Grace. Willow Rosenberg on Buffy. I mean, stuff like the L-Word and Queer As Folk are amazing, but they are not mainstream. I'm more focusing on stuff you didn't have to pay to get. Stuff that you could get on regular, national television. Modern Family. It helps take the mystery away. It helps see a person with a queer identity in a different light for people who may not know any (out) queer people in their daily life. Someone who is not in an urban environment, maybe doesn't personally know any queer people, can pick up this book and say, 'Huh. I read this book and I relate to Kobabe.' [image] Because Kobabe is very relatable. People might agree with eir for a plethora of reasons - even if the reader of this memoir is not queer. How about the fear and discomfort of getting a pap smear? Very relatable for a lot of women, especially young women reading this book who might not have gotten their first pap smear yet. How about Kobabe's amazing confidence in turning down dating/sexual partners who e knows won't work for eir? That's quite inspiring. A lot of young people lack the ability to maturely turn down people who want to date them. Seeing Kobabe practicing healthy boundary-setting and assertive self-protection is a great role model for teens. What about females who simply do NOT want to get married? Women or girls who do NOT want to have children? Straight, cisgendered women get tons of negative feedback for not wanting to get married or have children. Seeing Kobabe come to these decisions for eirself and about eirself is powerful. Sex isn't eir thing. This takes eir a long time to figure out. Readers might be struggling with the dawning realization that they have a low sex drive (doesn't necessarily mean you are asexual, although Kobabe is). This can be scary. Thinking you are a freak because you are uninterested in sex or fantasize about growing up to be the maiden aunt can make a young person feel alone. But tons of people struggle with this stuff. And seeing Kobabe do it is helpful and reassuring. [image] Same thing with Kobabe refusing to shave eir legs or underarms. Or vulva, for that matter. Tons of women are interested in this, but society is BRUTAL in its enforcement of gender roles. Seeing Kobabe (and one of the women e dates) frankly discuss how they both have body hair before engaging in sex, and how that has to be a 'confession' because a female having body hair is SO SHAMEFUL is powerful and really can make teens (or any reader) think critically about how society forces gender expression. [image] There's about 8 more examples of 'totally relatable stuff for readers, even if you are not queer' that I could list here. [image] The book is not at all preachy. Kobabe speaks simply and honestly. You really understand Kobabe and where e is coming from by the end of the book. Kobabe doesn't shy away from troublesome elements. For example, e has a difficult conversation with eir lesbian, feminist aunt who thinks nonbinary and transgender is a form of misogyny. Or the part where Kobabe admits that as a young person, e fantasized about having to have eir breasts removed because of cancer - stating that since then people in eir family have had breast cancer and what a terrible fantasy that was. It's honest, it's reminiscent of a book by Judy Blume. Obviously, this book is aimed at an older audience than Judy Blume's audience. But the honest, helpful-to-youth, tackling-difficult-issues-without-being-preachy feeling is strong, just like Blume's work. Probably not a coincidence, since Blume's books were banned and challenged frequently. I think that a.) depriving teenagers of this material is doing them a huge disservice. The book is EXCELLENT. I am not saying this because it is queer, I have rated plenty of queer books 1 or 2 stars. Some queer books are horrible. So, this is not a case of me praising this book 'because it's necessary.' I don't believe in that, I always review books based on the book, not out of any sense of 'as a liberal I have to support this.' I don't have to support it, and frequently don't. However, the book is amazing and should definitely be in high-school libraries and in every public library. I would recommend it to LITERALLY everyone, regardless of whether they are in the queer community or not. It's just a smart, relatable, helpful book for all humans. [image] b.) The idea that 'conservatives' seem to have that reading about 'gays' will 'make children/teens gay' is really bizarre to me. No matter how many books I read about lesbians, I'm not a lesbian. *shrug* If you don't like dick, reading about dicks isn't going to make you suddenly want to take a dick. I think literature is a huge gift to humanity, and that children and teens will self-censor. I was allowed to read anything I wanted to growing up. And I did. And I think it was one of the best parenting decisions my parents ever made. Children and young people read what interests them. Tons of stuff doesn't interest them, forbidding them to pick it up is only going to spark their curiosity. I think the ideas and concepts in this book are great. I think they are really helpful. I think the book is educational and interesting. That being said, a lot of young people will have absolutely no interest in reading it. Just let things take their natural course. [image] If you want to know what I think is very damaging to children and young people, it's Internet porn. I would worry about Internet usage much, much more than BOOKS. I guess books are ban-able, though, and the Internet isn't. All this hand-wringing is completely pointless if your kid has a smartphone and/or access to the World Wide Web. Pornography is very damaging, and it's being introduced at younger and younger ages. Two ironic and sad things about this book is when Kobabe learns to read (at age 11!) due to Harry Potter. Must sting a lot in light of Rowling's outspoken views that we now know (this isn't discussed in the book. I'm just speculating). And TWO, Kobabe finding refuge, solace, and comfort in the library while discovering queer books and trying to figure out eir gender and sexuality. Books are so important, public libraries are so important. And now eir important, sensitive, helpful book about gender identity is being banned. PEOPLE HAVE CLAIMED THIS BOOK IS PORNOGRAPHIC. IS IT? CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT'S IN IT? Sure. The book is NOT pornographic. However, it does tackle issues of sexuality and etc. It's definitely not meant to titillate or sexually excite people. It's not pornography. However, it does contain sexual material. Let's go over it. - Kobabe grows up with hippies and pees in the yard. There is a drawing of eir peeing in the yard as a 3-year-old. - E tries to go shirtless as a child (prepubescent) and is quickly made to cover up and be ashamed. - Discussions of periods, drawing of a bloody pad. I wouldn't even think this was 'offensive,' since it is a natural bodily function, but after the 'conservative' panic from Turning Red (Disney) about the HORROR of talking about menstruation, I'm mentioning this. - Kobabe fantasizes about having a penis (no penis is shown in this part). E also discusses how imagining two gay men having sex is what sexually arouses eir. And fantasizing about eir (non-existent) cock getting sucked. No penises shown, it's just talked about. - Kobabe's older sister kind of dares eir to taste eir own vaginal fluids. Kobabe is asexual and finds this 'gross.' We see this progress later as e grows up to honestly tell eir female dating partner that e won't go down on her. - Drawings of Kobabe undressing for eir first, terrifying pap smear. Shows a naked female body but it's just normal, not sexualized at all. The pap smear is horrifying for Kobabe, and there is a picture of eir naked body being impaled on knife to illustrate the trauma e feels about being penetrated. This is one of the most relatable and heart-wrenching parts of the book IMO. - There is a picture of a Grecian plate shown while Kobabe has a sexual fantasy in which a bearded naked man is touching the penis of a teenage boy. - There's a scene in the book where Kobabe's girlfriend agrees to fellate a strap-on that Kobabe is wearing. As I expected, Kobabe doesn't enjoy it at all because there is no sensation in a plastic dick, obviously. E never does that again, and actually kind of gives up on sex permanently by the end of the book. The book is surprisingly unsexual for supposed, alleged 'porn.' After all, Kobabe is an asexual and even as a teen has a very low sex drive. That's pretty much it, make your own decisions on if your kid/teen can read this (if they are even interested, which I doubt). I can easily and happily see it in any high school. Lower age than that I probably wouldn't put it in a middle-school or elementary-school library. Saying this should be banned from elementary school libraries, though, is kind of like saying 'We should ban rhinoceroses from elementary schools.' This book simply isn't going to be there, it's not an issue. And I'm completely against book banning of any sort. PERSONALLY as an individual I wouldn't hesitate to give it to any kid age 12+, but I understand I'm very loosey-goosey with what kids read because I read anything I wanted to growing up and I think kids/teens should read anything that holds their interest - especially a smart, well-written book like this which will educate them and make them think. I'm also a feminist, so that might explain why I like this book so much. After all, I read OUR BODIES, OURSELVES when I was young. It was GREAT, this is kind of akin to that. Another huge boon in this book is that Kobabe has a loving, supportive, kind family. It can be depressing to read queer memoirs where the family is hateful and shames and humiliates the author. This book illustrates what a kind, accepting family can look like for a queer youth. [image] TL;DR So glad I read this. I feel sad that Kobabe's book is being banned and challenged. It's an excellent book. Very helpful for any teens/adults who might be struggling to understand why traditional gender roles aren't suiting them; why the intense sexualization of American culture is not attractive to them. Why they don't spend hours fantasizing about a crush. But even beyond this, Kobabe is relatable to any reader. Any person who just wants to understand queer identity better should read this. Confused about what non-binary actually is? Confused about how a person can be born in a female body and not feel womanly or girlish? You don't even know what genderqueer means? Is Kobabe trans? What's going on here? Just read it. It's an excellent educational material for straight cisgender people. I think it can be a huge boon in taking away any fears or disgust people in 'mainstream' society might have regarding LGBTQIA+ people and that is super-important, especially nowadays with the right's insistence that 'queers are coming for your children.' The book clearly shows the reader a kind, relatable human being. Perhaps this is the real reason the book is being banned by the right. What if queer people are JUST LIKE YOU in a lot of ways? [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 27, 2022
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Apr 27, 2022
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Apr 27, 2022
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1328530825
| 9781328530820
| 1328530825
| 4.15
| 12,666
| Apr 23, 2019
| Apr 23, 2019
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really liked it
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"But Willow's happiness isn't your responsibility." pg. 88 This is a good book for children - aimed at elementary-school-aged girls. It's about two fri "But Willow's happiness isn't your responsibility." pg. 88 This is a good book for children - aimed at elementary-school-aged girls. It's about two friends, Olive and Willow, who go away to summer camp together. Willow is high maintenance. She has allergies, is a picky eater, is a scaredy-cat, is shy, doesn't like sports, and is prone to passive-aggressive behavior. Olive is an outgoing and friendly girl. She easily makes friends and has a huge variety of interests. Unfortunately, Willow wants Olive basically glued to her side at all times. She gets resentful and sulky when Olive is friendly with other kids, and she gets angry when Olive wants to participate in activities Willow is not interested in. She's stifling Olive. Of course, this culminates in a fight mid-way through the book. It's very relatable, I think it's a great book illustrating some friendship problems girls can run into. It's handled in a smart way and girls will really enjoy this and be interested in it. (Not that boys can't enjoy it, too!) I liked it even better than the first book, Click. Worth a look if you have an elementary-aged girl in your circle. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Olive f Willow f Misty f Ashley f Laura f Cecily f Rosie f Leslie f Bree f Chris f Christina Vanessa f Ellen f Aidy f Max m Jay m Adam m Noah m Dylan m Mia f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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1328911128
| 9781328911124
| 1328911128
| 4.06
| 17,048
| Jan 08, 2019
| Jan 08, 2019
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really liked it
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A cute book about a fifth-grade girl who is not sure where she fits in. This is made glaringly obvious when the talent show is announced and no one in
A cute book about a fifth-grade girl who is not sure where she fits in. This is made glaringly obvious when the talent show is announced and no one invites her to join their group. This depresses her, until she stumbles upon a great idea. Note: This isn't about someone who has no friends, instead Olive's problem is that she has too many. She's not in a clique (hence the title of the book), instead she is a friend of all the cliques. Exactly the kind of graphic novel that is popular with children right now. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Hugh m Olive f Willow f Nick m Grace f Beth f Chanda f Dave m Simon m Emilie f Molly f Matt m Myra f Megan f Tim m Alice f Sam m Claire f Jessie f Nicole f Dave m Lucy f Barkson – dog Lisa f Sawyer m Ternt m Ava f Franny f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
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1
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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1444951408
| 9781444951400
| 1444951408
| 4.52
| 553,763
| Jul 11, 2019
| Jul 11, 2019
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liked it
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M/M romantic fiction written by a woman and as far as I can tell, mostly consumed by women who go "Awwwwww, this is so CUTE!" *squeals* Kind of bafflin M/M romantic fiction written by a woman and as far as I can tell, mostly consumed by women who go "Awwwwww, this is so CUTE!" *squeals* Kind of baffling to me. The majority of m/m is written by (mostly) straight women and consumed in great quantities by straight women. It also plays to these tropes. You know. Charlie agonizes about falling for a 'straight boy' but BING! Magically the boy isn't straight. He 'thinks he's bi.' He enjoys kissing Charlie, and after a few weeks is totally fine coming out. He ditches his rugby friends and starts hanging out with Charlie's group. He (relatively) easily and (relatively) comfortably defends Charlie, not only against sexual assault but he stands up to his cruel rugby friends when they make comments about Charlie being gay. I doubt this is what would actually happen if Charlie developed a crush on a straight guy. Nick is a 'big and strong' rugby player and Charlie is 'so light' and 'so small' and Nick frequently picks him up and runs around with him. Often comments are made about how 'small,' 'weak' and 'light' Charlie is. The boys just kiss a little bit. Nobody fucks. It's very cutesy, very romantic, and very 'aw, I'm shy' and etc. Nobody consumes porn and it's obvious the boys are going to be a monogamous, cutesy couple that embraces heterosexual norms and heterosexual romantic/sexual values. It's fine. You love it? Great. I don't have a problem with it being written nor do I have a problem with it being read and widely loved, but it's pretty obviously heterosexual-washed. It's ostensibly about two boys 'falling in love' but it's obviously a woman's interpretation of that. That doesn't mean people can't read it and love it. I just think it's funny we #OwnVoices everything except gay romance. Then it's women writing their fantasies 95% of the time. Besides that issue. It's monochromatic – I notice a deluge of monochromatic LGBTIA+ graphic novels lately. I'm not sure why. I find using shades of one color only to be kind of boring. The art is okay. It's not gorgeous, but it's not ugly like I've heard some claim. It's pretty cutesy and sweet – so if saccharine books annoy you you might want to avoid this series. It's quite shonen-ai (I guess people no longer use this term? I'm not an anime/manga expert) and fluffy. Even though some of Nick's friends may make some offensive remarks about Charlie being gay, and discussions are held about Charlie being bullied in the past, Charlie is accepted as gay now and everyone's family members are very accepting and calm about the boys being non-hetero. It's not a complete 'gay utopia' or 'LGBTIA+ utopia' like many that are created nowadays (see also The Hideaway Inn (written by a gay man)) in which almost everyone in the main characters life and city/town is LGBTIA+ in some capacity. Akin to Queer as Folk where, watching it, the show would have you believe 90% of Pittsburgh's male population is gay. However, Heartstopper may be headed that direction, unclear at this time. TL;DR – Not the book you want to read if you want gay male voices. Obviously female-written and heterosexual-washed. Which is ok. Romance genre is a fantasy by its nature. Certainly my m/f romance novels which I devour with gusto are not accurate nor authentic to real life and heavily involve both romantic and sexual fantasy. But if you're looking for #OwnVoices, gay male authors writing gay male love stories this isn't it. Cute, fluffy, monochromatic, a book to read if you want to think 'Oh, these boys are adorable!' and squeal. No sexual content, just some light kissing. P.S. Books by gay male authors: Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover You could say Call Me By Your Name, but André Aciman says he's not gay. Still has a more authentic flavor than this. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 22, 2021
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Jun 22, 2021
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Jun 22, 2021
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Paperback
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B07F1CB9YC
| 3.95
| 714
| Apr 02, 2019
| Apr 03, 2019
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really liked it
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"Poor Zero. Trapped in a band full o' dykes." pg. 45 This is more my style of fiction featuring lesbians. It's no The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, "Poor Zero. Trapped in a band full o' dykes." pg. 45 This is more my style of fiction featuring lesbians. It's no The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, but it does have those vibes. Although it is written by a man. [image] It's about a woman named Maggie going to a punk reunion in Huerta with her ex-girlfriend, Hopey. They are hoping for a jolt of energy from revisiting their youth. But it doesn't exactly work out that way. [image] Ray, Maggie's man, gets a tiny volt of jealousy when, right before leaving on the trip, Maggie casually brings up Hopey as she and Ray are going to fuck. Apparently both Ray and Hopey enjoy having sex with Maggie with her panties still on. Ray's right to be worried. While at the motel, Maggie struts out of the bathroom in nothing but her panties and makes it clear she'd enjoy Hopey fucking her. Hopey turns her down. Hopey's married and has a kid, and on some level, Maggie knows what she's doing is wrong. [image] So the next morning, things are awkward between them, but there's really too much history between these women for bad feelings to last long. [image] They have a punk show to see and many queer (and straight) friends to catch up with. The modern-day section is intercut with flashbacks from 1979, when Maggie was 14 and hanging out with Hopey and the whole gang. [image] There's a truly terrifying sequence at the end in which Hopey and Maggie are walking home and being followed by this huge guy who hates "dykes." The women run to a couple they see on the street for help, only to find the couple also hates lesbians and is threatening and cruel. Truly harrowing and very well done by Hernández. It's still not safe to be queer in a lot of parts of the U.S.A. and this incredibly scary feeling that someone could kill you or rough you up really badly and no one would come to your aid or even care is exquisitely rendered by Hernández. I felt truly frightened for our protagonists. [image] TL;DR More of an old-school depiction of lesbians and queer life based out of being born in the sixties. This is more 'comfortable' for me in the realm of queer fiction. Hernández's stark black lines and everyday-looking people are very realistic, yet it's easy to keep track of who everyone is and what they're doing - a difficult thing in a graphic novel with a large cast. My only complaint is that sometimes Hernández would flip to the past with no warning, which was jarring. He warned you the first couple times, then he just stopped and the reader is supposed to figure it out. I prefer the warnings. Makes things less confusing. Not a five-star, but definitely worth picking up if you have an interest. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Doyle m Mike m Daffy (Daphne) f Penny f Izzy f Hopey f Espy? (Esperanza) Sadaf f Mag f Ray m Julie f Terry Eugene m Henry m Rodrigo m Canicas – cat Richy the Second – cat Del m Nick m Isabel f Licha f Peter m Letty f Neslo m Sal m Kiko f Itsuki f Joey m Janet f Jessica f Tony m Speedy m Fenix m Zero m Monica f Marco m Paul m Timothy m Hilary f Meredith f Mani m Sonny m Calvin m Linda f Tex m Carlos m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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1534310541
| 9781534310544
| 1534310541
| 3.96
| 1,917
| Mar 19, 2019
| Mar 26, 2019
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it was amazing
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[image] People have been telling me to read this since it came out, and I have not been reading it. Story of my life. Carmen's life: people recommend b [image] People have been telling me to read this since it came out, and I have not been reading it. Story of my life. Carmen's life: people recommend books to her, and she never (very slowly?) gets around to them. But I finally picked it up and I'm very glad I did. It's excellent. [image] The premise is that, in the future, you can crowdsource (gofundme?) killings. You can put up money publicly on the Internet to have someone killed. If it gets two backers at minimum, it's live and anyone who kills the target gets the pot. Almost everyone kills in this universe. It's a fucked-up fake thing like THE PURGE. IRL I don't think this kind of thing would happen, it's a fantasy like The Hunger Games. But as per usual, Sebela is using this premise to make some statements about our society and where it's going. That's what sucks about growing up. You end up being all kinds of things you don't want to be. The hits (on society by the author) start right at the beginning. The target, Charlie (Charlotte) 'works' about twelve different gig-jobs. She gets paid to allow other people to live in her home temporarily (AirBNB), she picks up fares (Uber), she loans her car to strangers that need cars on an app called Wheelsy, she lends out her clothes for money on an app called Kloset, she walks dogs from clients she gets on Dogstroll, she babysits for kids she finds on Citysitter, tutors online (VIPkids?), hangs out with a lonely old man for money (platonic) whom she found on an app called Palrent. She lends money to people on Moneyfriender at a 12% interest rate. It's a future where there's an app for LITERALLY everything, people have no job security, all cars are self-driving and all fast food is ordered through computers - no humans actually work in McDonald's. At one point a killer promises an Uber driver health insurance if he can get her someplace in ten minutes. The look on his face says it all. Health insurance is what everyone dreams of and no one can get. People might try and kill the target for a number of reasons, mainly money. But also psychopaths and people with anger issues like to kill people. One particularly interesting scene shows a bride pulling a gun on Charlie because she can't afford the wedding she's dreamed of. She's going to shoot someone to death in order to get money to have a lavish wedding. It's this kind of thing that makes me roll my eyes. It's the same problem with THE PURGE. Most people are not murderers. Murdering people is not a simple or easy thing, even when you're getting paid, say, one million dollars to do it. ANYWAY, Charlie hires a bodyguard on the app Dfender. This is how she meets Vita, a tall, thin, badass woman who is a super-skilled fighter and driver. She tries to avoid killing people - which she claims accounts for her low-rating on Dfender - instead wounding them or incapacitating them while keeping her client alive. The campaign only lasts a month, so if Charlie can survive thirty days she is free and after that it will not be legal to murder her. But who wants to kill her and why? Both of our MCs are a bit mysterious. Since Vita is so sexy, in the bodyguard badass way, there's some sexual tension between her and the shallow, selfish, airheaded Charlie, which I was not buying NOR did I appreciate by the way. I don't understand why everything has to be sexual nowadays. It seems two characters in a fiction can't simply be friends anymore, there must always be an undercurrent of fucking for some reason. Oftentimes it's QUITE unnecessary. Charlie is very difficult and purposefully a moron, a determined moron, one might say, and I did NOT find a sexual attraction between her and badass Vita to be plausible. NOT PLAUSIBLE. Reapr became a thing about 3 years ago, when the Secretary of State and two other members of the Cabinet were assassinated. The Feds caught the gunman, tracked his money back to a crowdfunding platform. Five thousand people gave over four million to have them killed. They busted a few backers, but most were anonymous. Burner email addresses. The toothpaste was out of the tube, too late to stop it. ... Everything moved to deep web servers, rebuilt, campaigns went up left and right. People finally had the charge to strike back against the jerks in power. Like, imagine it, those buttholes who make decisions that affect us all and they don't ever worry. Then Reapr comes along and puts a scope right on them. Suddenly government changes. Our representatives start representing us, our president makes decisions that help and don't hurt. REAL democracy. Of course, then it, like, filtered down. A campaign against that director they say wrecked the TREK WARS franchise. Some lady tweets something stupid that goes viral, gets off the plane to a price on her head. CARMEN'S NOTE: Justine Sacco Anyone can collect on a campaign at any time. Soon as they kill the goal, they get whatever money's been raised up 'til then. No one could stop it. Cops tried. FBI tried. They even shut off the Internet for a week, had all those riots. Then it went PUBLIC. ... You notice how people are so NICE to each other these days? All it took was arming the whole country and giving them an outlet. Law enforcement has Reapr loopholes a mile wide. They can't stop it, so now they just penalize with paperwork and red tape. Anyone can start a campaign. Totally anonymous. As long as you get one other person to kick in some money, it's live. Of course, most of them go nowhere. But if they DO and you stay alive? You're free. No one can start one on you again. They had their shot. After that if someone kills you? It's plain old murder. And there's no paperwork gets you out of that. ... That's what you're up against. Everyone looking for a lottery ticket on the street. You're it. All it takes is a weapon and a dream. TL;DR Like I said, I have problems with books that operate on a premise that everyone is fine with casually murdering other people. I just find it too fantastical. But if you look at the book as a biting social commentary, I think you'll be pleased. Sebela has a lot to say. It's certainly gripping and it's not dumb. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Vita f Charlie (Charlotte) f Lido m George m Francie f Rach f Willa f Jim m Ed m Jo f Otis m Penny f Pilot Inspektor m Augustine f Chase m Zadie f Jon m "His name is a circle with three dots in the middle." Wesley m Anita f Samey m Pete m Wolf m Cameron f Muttley - Chihuahua Cleo f Doug m Joe m Dave m Dani f Pepper - Chihuahua Becky f Timmy m Suzanne f Jace m Lily f Dystopia f Eric m Aguirre, Wrath of God - cat Bob m Danny Boy m Mark m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 02, 2020
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Aug 02, 2020
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Aug 02, 2020
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Paperback
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1620106558
| 9781620106556
| 1620106558
| 4.40
| 31,201
| Sep 17, 2019
| Sep 17, 2019
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really liked it
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"Just because something comes easily to you, does not mean it has no value. You find it effortless BECAUSE you love it, and that is why it is your gif
"Just because something comes easily to you, does not mean it has no value. You find it effortless BECAUSE you love it, and that is why it is your gift." pg. 82 [image] Once more we return to the cute and cozy world of tea dragons! These small domesticated pets are a lot of work but provide tea and memories to people. If you own a 'toy' dog you might get more out of this book than non-toy-dog owners. The tea dragons are quite similar to toy-breed dogs. [image] O'Neill is famous for her LGBTQIA+ characters and this book is no exception. We have the gay couple from the last book (Hesekiel and Erik) and now we have a ??? person named Rinn who uses the pronouns they/them and dreams of being able to switch anytime from being male to being female to being male again. Not sure whether they are supposed to be genderfluid or non-binary or genderqueer or agendered or what. It's never discussed. Actually, the only reason I know Rinn uses the pronouns they/them is because it subtly (SO SUBTLY) is in the Cast of Characters section. Blink and you miss it - it's not even explicit. [image] There's also interspecies romance in this book - Erik and Hesekiel are a man and a... llama? Chimera of some sort? IDK and later it's implied (SUBTLY) that Rinn and Aedhan are romantically involved by the end of the book, which is a romance of a human and dragon. Weredragon? Not clear. [image] O'Neill also includes a deaf character in this book, which I thought was a nice touch. She uses illustrations to demonstrate people using sign language, either straight or with spoken words accompanying it. [image] A jarring thing - and I mentioned this in the review of the first book - is the juxtaposition of the cutesy and the horrifying. The book is very cute. Everything is cute. People are peaceful and extremely tolerant. Everyone is helpful and kind. Everything is adorable and colorful. Which makes it all the more shocking when O'Neill bluntly includes stuff like, "Erik and Hesekiel kill creatures for money." They are basically bounty hunters. There's also a fight between Aedhan and an eaglefang which is bloody. [image] TL;DR Cute book with a very wide range of both skin colors and different gender/sex identities. Deaf representation. Comforting, cutesy, calming, cozy book. Strange underpinnings of violence which seem a bit out of place. Interspecies romances. Very pretty. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hesekiel m Erik m Rinn they/them Aedhan m Aya f Ashyra f Lesa f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 19, 2020
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Jul 19, 2020
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Jul 19, 2020
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Hardcover
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1452180962
| 9781452180960
| 1452180962
| 4.50
| 206
| unknown
| Nov 05, 2019
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it was amazing
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It is easy to forget that you live in the sky - not beneath it, but within it. Our atmosphere is an enormous ocean, and you inhabit it. This ocean is
It is easy to forget that you live in the sky - not beneath it, but within it. Our atmosphere is an enormous ocean, and you inhabit it. This ocean is made up of the gases of air rather than liquid water, but it is as much of an ocean as the Atlantic or the Pacific. You may think of yourself as a creature living on the ground, but all that means is that you are a creature of the ocean bed. You still inhabit the atmosphere like a sea creature does the water. pg. 7 Very good book. Features pictures of clouds, 365 of them. Clouds over different countries, clouds from planes, clouds from space, clouds on other planets, paintings of clouds. The pictures are accompanied by informative and slightly humorous texts by Pretor-Pinney. I learned a lot. I never knew HOW varied and interesting clouds could be. Of course, Pretor-Pinney founded the Cloud Appreciation Society. He calls people who look at clouds 'cloudspotters' and many of the pictures in this book are submitted by various members of CSA from around the globe. Highly recommended. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 03, 2020
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Jul 04, 2020
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Jul 03, 2020
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Hardcover
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147460014X
| 9781474600149
| B07BXPHRM7
| 3.26
| 1,230
| Mar 07, 2019
| Mar 07, 2019
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really liked it
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This was meant to be the ultimate threat, the winning card. If you don't carry the bundle of your crippled son, drape yourself in a black abaya and ho
This was meant to be the ultimate threat, the winning card. If you don't carry the bundle of your crippled son, drape yourself in a black abaya and hop on a plane to Saudi, your husband will take another wife. You will be replaced; your spot will be taken. pg. 155 This is a strange book. As usual, I went into this novel completely blind. I had no idea what it was about. I had no information about the book. Imagine my surprise when it turned out I was reading magical-realism. The book starts off normal enough. I suggest reading the GR summary, it's excellent. Three Muslim women (who live in Britain) make a pilgrimage to Zainab Cobbold's grave in Inverness. Salma is a take-charge woman, a doctor in her native Egypt but a massage therapist here in Britain. Her ex from Egypt has contacted her from social media and she's in the throes of excitement in rekindling memories of their romance. She's in her 40s. Iman is a beautiful woman whose beauty was supposed to shield her from the hardships of life. It hasn't. She's on her third husband, men always want to possess her and she's herded into a submissive and passive role, always. She's in her 20s. And Moni is the woman in her 30s, caring for her five-year-old son who has cerebral palsy. Her husband is demanding she and Adam (her son) join him in Saudi Arabia, and she's defying him because she wants her son to have the health care Britain provides, she hates the way Saudis treat the disabled. Each woman has her own problems, concerns, and life experiences. Each is interesting and unique. Salma dealing with enjoying the freedom that comes from marrying a Scottish convert, but bemoaning the fact that this means she cannot dominate and control her children the way she wants to. She's ashamed on some level that she's unable to be a doctor here. Iman, for all her beauty and being labeled as 'lazy and emptyheaded' is suffering from PTSD due to her growing up in Syria and having her first husband (she married him at age 15) killed in the war. She has an affinity for animals and a vivid imagination. Moni is out of shape, her life completely devoted to carrying for her child, and the devotion to her disabled son is driving a wedge between her and her husband. The book starts off pretty normal, but once the women reach Inverness the magical realism starts and things get progressively weirder and weirder. The book is called "Bird Summons" because Iman is in communication with Hoopoe, a bird that appears in the Quran. He tells her stories. I was mildly annoyed by the fairy tales in this book. I know Aboulela was trying to illustrate some points, but I'm not a fan of this type of plot device. I found the women's plot much more interesting, and could have done without all the fairy tales Hoopoe tells Iman. The women each have to 'learn their lesson' and come out of the book on the other side of whatever main issue they are struggling with. If you don't like magical realism, allegories, or fairy tales, skip this book. Aboulela has a kind of deceptively simple writing style that draws you in. It suits the subject material, but for those of you who celebrate amazing writing such as that of Donna Tartt or André Aciman are going to be disappointed, this isn't that kind of book. I couldn't really understand why a strong woman like Salma was so eager to reconnect with someone like Amir. I know Aboulela is saying it's because if she stayed in her home country and married him instead of David, she could have been a doctor, but it was mind-boggling to me that she'd fantasize about being married to weakling Amir. Amir can't handle women being better than him at anything, so when they were 'dating,' Salma was constantly stifling herself in order to keep Amir's ego inflated. She lost tennis matches, pretended he could outrun her, deliberately lost at cards. She does the work and he makes the decisions. That was their pattern, what came naturally to them both - she did the legwork and the research so that they could brainstorm and fumble towards a decision in which he would have the final word. pg. 132 She did his work for him when they were in clinical. It's INSANE to me that she's fantasizing about this guy. He sounds like an incredibly weak person, unable to tolerate the idea that a woman could be better than him at anything, very defensive, very spoiled, and full of himself. I guess Aboulela's point is that instead of fantasizing about this guy, Salma should be appreciative of her husband, who values her opinions, values her knowledge, and doesn't try to control or dominate her. But it was almost too bizarre to me. I couldn't understand the appeal of Amir or Salma's obsession with her digital affair with him. The men who marry Iman (three so far) are also despicable and childlike. Aboulela seems to think it would be difficult to be anything else when their culture encourages this type of behavior. A wife is a servant, a live-in slave, basically, a possession. And if your wife pisses you off, you can always get another, which is what Moni is threatened with when she places the needs of her disabled son over the desires of her husband. Only Salma escaped, by marrying a British man who converted to Islam. He is literally the only man in this book who respects women or sees women as human beings. Every single other man in here is someone who views women as servants, possessions or objects. Iman depending on the mercy of a man only interested in her beauty (her lot in life) brings up an interesting thesis from Aboulela about the difference between marriage and prostitution: Ibrahim had been opposed to this trip. Three women on their own gallivanting across Scotland - it was wrong and unnecessary. Iman had pleaded, pouted and sulked until he gave way. 'I can't bear you out of my sight,' he said the night before she left. 'What am I going to do?' he wailed in his boxer shorts, punching pillows and slamming doors. Iman's husband was a young student from a conservative family. His scholarship, paid for by his home country's government, was ample and reliable. Ibrahim had suffered from homesickness and culture shock when he first arrived and the imam of the mosque prescribed marriage. Ibrahim's family back home disagreed and so, without their consent nor knowledge, he took as his wife the most beautiful divorcee in the local Muslim community. He left the student halls, which - with girls in close proximity to beds they should not, would not and did not share with him-were a source of torment, and moved with Iman into a small flat near the university. She was his saviour. The one who met all his needs so that he could settle and study. And he was her saviour too. Dumped by the husband who had brought her to Britain (not exactly dumped, but he had ended up in prison and divorced her as a courtesy), she had been unsure what to do next, how to proceed. 'Do anything, but don't come back,' her family told her. Because of the war, home was neither safe nor prosperous. Those who were lucky to be out stayed out. Her ex-husband's lengthy sentence was for grievous bodily harm after losing his temper with a fellow Syrian. Asked if he had beaten her now that his violent credentials were proven without doubt, Iman shook her head and answered no, but the truth was he hadn't got around to it yet. So, she opted next for the peaceful, gentle Ibrahim. Of the string of suitors, he was the one least likely to lift a finger against her. Besides, when he said the magic words, 'I will do everything I can to unite you with your mother,' she was won over. His immaturity was endearing, his consistent lust for her reassuring. He rescued her from homelessness and from aimlessness. Closer to her in age than her previous husbands, she found herself loving him as a friend, someone she could cuddle on the sofa and play games with on the PlayStation. Every morsel she put in her mouth, every piece of clothing, was provided for her by Ibrahim. The rent, the gas, the internet. She did not have to beg, borrow or steal. She did not need to get up at the crack of dawn, take orders from a line manager or clean up other people's homes. Instead, she was as pampered as a racehorse and as busy as a geisha. To what extent is marriage religiously sanctioned prostitution? Iman sometimes pondered this question. She had even discussed it with Salma on more than one occasion -as much as she was capable of discussion. Salma of course had been adamant that the two were completely different. Iman wasn't sure, and the arguments Salma used didn't fully convince her. Prostitution and marriage. Man pays and woman serves. He houses, clothes and feeds her to get something in return. So what was the difference between the two? pg. 35 Later, Iman acknowledges that it's not religion, but only love that can change the relationship between man and woman: And what lies ahead for her, how will she live? Everyone had predicted she would marry a rich man and never have to lift a finger. Her beauty had pointed towards this. Marriage versus prostitution. Marriage as a way to legitimise the oldest profession? It need not be like this. She knew this, glimpsed it in the lives of other couples. Two things could look alike and feel alike and seem alike yet be profoundly different. One was blessed and the other doomed. The intentions that led to each were different. The resemblance was superficial but understandable. Man pays and woman serves. He houses, clothes and feeds her to get something in return. Put love in the equation. He gives because he loves her and would give regardless of whether services were rendered or not; she gives because she loves him and would keep giving even if he didn't pay. Or they both give and receive in a flow generated by love with neither one keeping tabs, with neither one viewing the relationship as a transaction. pg. 72 But can she ever find love in this sort of system, where women are put on a marriage market and men marry them only because they are beautiful? TL;DR An interesting look at the life of three Muslim women, at least one of whom is black. (Moni). Because they are living in Britain and not Saudi Arabia, Syria, or Egypt, this book isn't as depressing as most books I've read about Muslim women's lives (e.g. The Patience Stone, A Thousand Splendid Suns). A woman-focused book, in which men (good or bad) are only on the periphery. Focuses on women's feelings, thoughts, ideas, and life experiences. Aboulela makes some great points and has some interesting things to say. I enjoyed the book. The magical realism sort of threw me for a loop, but overall a good book. If you want to read a Muslim-focused book by a Muslim female author (#OwnVoices or whatever) this is a good one. If you have an interest in that sort of thing, I'd recommend it. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Salma f 40s Moni f Manahil Iman f 20s Adam m David m Amir m Ibrahim m Murtada m Kathy f Anne f Norma f Mullin m Nathan m Emad m Toby m Grant m Zainab f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 27, 2020
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Jul 2020
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Jun 27, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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B0DLT34SYM
| 4.26
| 99,524
| Feb 05, 2019
| Feb 2019
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it was amazing
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It's like having a bucket of ice water thrown in my face. Ratchet hood rat. Thousands of people just heard me act like that. Millions more may see the v It's like having a bucket of ice water thrown in my face. Ratchet hood rat. Thousands of people just heard me act like that. Millions more may see the video. They won't care that my life is a mess and I had every right to be mad. They'll just see an angry black girl from the ghetto, acting like they expected me to act. Supreme laughs to himself. "You played the role," he says. "Goddamn, you played the role." Problem is, I wasn't playing. That's what I've become. pg. 355 OKAY, even though I was resisting (RESISTING), I am going to have to give Angie Thomas five stars for this one. Why were you resisting, Carmen? Well, you know. YA isn't my thing. I have an aversion to YA. Real-life teenagers? I like them. Fictional books about teenagers? Nah. They are usually forced, awkward, and lame. Just can't stand 90% of YA. It's so contrived. Probably because it's written by adults about alleged "teenaged" experiences. Secondly, the girl in here is a rapper trying to make it big. Music is not my thing, reading about music is definitely not my thing. I've said this before: play guitar? Think that's sexy? Not to me. Want to write a book about being a singer? Not for me. Playing piano and auditioning? No. So this rapping, make-it-big story is not my cup of tea. I don't give a shit. Any musical plot or plot that revolves around instruments or performing, singing, rapping, or being a musician is totally not interesting to me. Despite these two strikes against Thomas at the onset, she still managed to impress me a lot. She's a talented writer. She draws you into her story. She does a good job of blending the serious topics of her work (racism, gangs, protest/riots, poverty, drug addiction) which are very topical and more typical teenage dramas like is-he-going-to-kiss me?, will-my-mom-find-out?, and teenage friendships and their ups and downs. This could easily be very contrived. It could easily be awkward and lame. But Thomas is smooth. She is able to naturally blend everything together and do so with an authentic voice that doesn't make it seem like she is creating a narrative to fit her agenda. Instead, it seems like an honest-to-Betsy story with an honest-to-Betsy plot and real characters. Sure, it's YA, and therefore centers on teen issues (which might make some people weary) - Heaven knows 'teenage issues' make me weary - but for a YA book it's pretty natural and gripping. Same with the discussions of race and racial issues. Yes, it's very appropriate right now. But it's easy to jump on a topical current-events wagon and ride it for money. That's NOT what Thomas is doing here. When I first heard about The Hate U Give, that's what I thought Thomas was doing. Jumping on a current-events wagon, and with a fucking YA book to boot. However, I was wrong. I ended up giving The Hate U Give five stars. And now I've ended up giving this book five stars. That means something. Thomas can actually write. Yes, Bri, the main character in this book can be stupid at times. But she's a teenager. Teenagers do stupid things sometimes and don't think things through. (Ha ha, so do adults, but usually life has knocked some sense into them by then.) I usually am rolling my eyes, but I found Bri's moments of stupidity to be believable, even if I didn't enjoy them. Also, Bri stands up for herself brilliantly. Sure, there are some times in the book when she SHOULD stand up for herself and doesn't - but again, teenager. It's easier to railroad teenagers sometimes. But overall her self-confidence and ability to speak out was admirable and encouraging. I was cheering. She did not have the self-doubt I would have had in those situations. She tells off people with a clear voice, and I admire that. Her friends, her elders. She has a lot of courage. I admired that and respected it. It always seems like Thomas is writing a long-ass book - I'm always surprised by the length of her novels when I pick them up - but it goes quickly and I don't think she is padding it nor do I think she needed a better editor. The length suited the book. I feel like she needed the page-count in order to say what she needed to say. Another strike against Thomas is that this is her second book. The shininess has rubbed off. People know her schtick now. This can be awful - see Andy Weir or Ernest Cline for examples of authors who blew people away with their first book only to sadly reveal that they were a one-trick pony with their second novel. I was afraid that was going to be Thomas, as well. Because, let's face it, she's writing about the same area, the same basic ideas, the same types of situations... it could have been a disaster. But it wasn't. Here's to hoping she's got a decent third novel inside of her. TL;DR If you have hesitated to pick up an Angie Thomas book, I'd encourage you to give it a shot. I know it's tempting to dismiss her books as riding a current-events bandwagon, and the idea of suffering through a YA novel might make some people cringe. However, if you give her a shot you might be surprised. I certainly was. Her books are actually good, not your typical YA dreck and I feel like she writes flowing, authentic, naturally-formed stories instead of relying on trying to force some emotions and dialogue. Not an easy thing to do. Props to her. I'd recommend giving her a chance to impress you. If this cynical, hard-hearted reader actually enjoyed her books, there's hope. Not to mention I'm a YA-averse grump. If you care about representation, there are both gay male characters and lesbians in this book. SOUNDTRACK FOR THE BOOK “Flash Light” by Parliament https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F7xb... “Sky's the Limit” by The Notorious B.I.G. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3vOe... “Kick in the Door” by The Notorious B.I.G. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRfnW... “A Tale of Two Citiez” by J. Cole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB7gy... “Niggas in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG_dA... “Deep Cover” by Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9Ml... “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYZf... “Silent Night” by The Temptations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0mgk... “Fuck Tha Police” by NWA https://youtu.be/Z7-TTWgiYL4 “P.Y.T.” by Michael Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZZQu... “Apparently” by J. Cole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRaFM... NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Aunt Pooh f Katricia Jay f Jayda Brianna nn Bri f Breezy Bookie Sonny m Jackson gay Jackson Emmanuel Malik m Lawless m Trey m Lawrence Marshall Long m Tate m Norma f Lena f Frank m Reggie m Dee-Nice m DJ Hype m M-Dot m Ms. Tique f Kayla CZ m Milez m Miles Supreme m Clarence Shana f Deon m Zane m Aja f Keyona f Nevaeh f Jabari m Curtis m Keandre m Aunt 'Chelle f Jojo m Scrap m Tony m Mr. Daryl m Ms. Pat f Ms. Sonja f Gina f Doc m Louise f Carol f Big Sal f Edward m Ef-X m Emily f 2Paw – cat Kennedy f Paris f Skye f Geraldine f David m Karen f James m Liz f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 21, 2020
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Jun 22, 2020
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Jun 21, 2020
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ebook
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0316420018
| 9780316420013
| 0316420018
| 3.95
| 153,477
| Jun 13, 2019
| Jun 18, 2019
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really liked it
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Telling the truth when you've done something wrong is the most terrifying thing in the world. pg. 238 I was shocked that I liked this book. I guess tha Telling the truth when you've done something wrong is the most terrifying thing in the world. pg. 238 I was shocked that I liked this book. I guess that serves me right. 'Beach read' turns me off. Books about rich young white people who frolic on Nantucket are EXACTLY the kind of thing I try to avoid. Just this cover. I know they say, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but if this cover could talk it would say, "This is a book Carmen wouldn't like." They publish dozens of "rich white family on the beach" books a year, some of them (I would say most) are incredibly stupid and insipid. I need to get over my biases, apparently. Because I liked this. SUMMER OF '69 follows a family through a summer on Nantucket. I read blurbs about this book on the back, and I don't think they are accurate. They say stuff like "rich people behaving badly" and "beautiful people, dysfunctional families, and Nantucket." This is awful. It's turning me off so much. The blurbs are making me scrunch up my face in disgust. But the actual book was entertaining, gripping, and fun. We have a lot of twists - I'd recommend NOT skipping ahead, and just letting the book take you where its going to take you. The twists aren't brilliant, I called at least half of them, but there were still a few that got me. The book is very women-centric and women-focused. The main characters are all women. Men exist, and they drive the plot forward sometimes, and they are on-page characters, but the book is about women and doesn't allow us to see behind the curtain for any male psyche. The family's only son is conveniently off to war, so we don't follow his storyline at all except through the letters he sends home. The main plots are: Kate (48) - A rich white woman whose son - Tiger - has been drafted into the Vietnam War. She's crazed with anxiety and convinced her son is going to die as 'punishment' for something she's done in the past. "Does David have a Kimberly in Boston?" "No," Kate said. "He has a job." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew Bitsy must find her naïve and way too trusting, but Kate had been married to a philanderer once and she wasn't crazy enough to do it a second time. David is principled; if anything, he's TOO principled. Kate is the one with the dark secret and questionable morals. pg. 219 Blair, her daughter (24) - a rich white woman who married a man who is working on the Apollo launch. He's made her quit her job and thinks women should stay at home, even though Blair is smart and wants to work. There's also something he's hiding... LOL Drama. "But you're not going to go." "What?" Blair said. "But it's Harvard. I got into HARVARD, Angus." "Didn't you tell me your grandfather went to Harvard?" Angus said. "That probably helped." It was all Blair could do not to slap him. ... "We agreed you wouldn't work," Angus said. "It's not work. It's SCHOOL. Surely you, of all people - " "Blair," he said. "We've been over this. Now, good night." pg. 51 Kirby, her daughter (21) - a rich white woman who spends the summer in Martha's Vineyard. She's a 'woke' liberal who is always constantly thinking about race and gender. She CRACKED ME UP. I think Hilderbrand just nailed her, sometimes I was laughing so hard at her progressive views of the world and her enthusiastic determination to 'educate' and 'enlighten' people. She has secrets of her own, and they unfold in surprising ways on Martha's Vineyard - a place Kirby thought she could escape from her past. Hilderbrand uses this character to discuss race, and I think it was a good way to do this. Patty stares at Kirby for a second and Kirby wonders if her favorite of all the girls in this house, the one she pegged right away as a potential friend, is going to turn out to be a racist. ... She's impressed that Patty's sister worked for Bobby Kennedy, but if Patty believes Inkwell is an inferior beach because it's frequented by Negroes, then she's a racist. pg. 129 Jessie, her daughter - OK, this 13-year-old almost stars in her own Judy Blume book in this novel. At first I was scoffing at this, but it turned out to be a great and engaging storyline. I was perhaps most enamored by this girl's story. Half Jewish - on her father's side - Jessie is struggling with the idea of being 'other.' Reading The Diary of a Young Girl and being completely immersed in that book, Jessie has her eyes open to see anti-Semitism everywhere. Even in people and places it doesn't really exist. She's also got a LOT of other things on her plate. She's not a perfect little girl, that's what I liked about her, but she was so genuine and vulnerable and slowly learning about the world. Great story arc. Jessie froze and couldn't help thinking of Anne Frank hiding in the attic of the skinny house in Amsterdam and how frightened she must have been with the constant threat of the Nazis. ... She wanted to curl up in a ball and die quietly of anxiety. It could have been, should have been, the best night of her young life, the night of her first kiss, but it was ruined. She didn't deserve happiness. pg. 229 It took me a while to get into this story, but once I got hooked I was HOOKED. Thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this. Genuinely was invested in everyone's story and what was going to happen to them. Jessie was number one in my mind, then Kirby - she was so amusing and cute, and then Blair, and lastly Kate. Does the book have good writing? No. The prose is fine, but nothing special or beautiful. Is it dark and dramatic? No. Hilderbrand isn't writing to shock or titillate. This isn't a thriller, nor is it very serious. It's a light read. Not fluffy, IMO, but light and generally happy and positive, even though some bad things happen. Is it a life-changing book? No, just a fun and entertaining one. I closed it feeling happy and satisfied. Make sure you are full when reading this, or have food on hand. The book talks about delicious food a lot. One of the things I liked about the novel was the strong women. All of them get into bad situations one way or another. All struggle to decide how to handle it. Many times, I was cheering out loud when they did something strong and good. It's tough - I actually think Hilderbrand shows how tough it is to do the right thing - but that just makes the end result more satisfying. This wasn't cartoonish or stupid. I think one of Hilderbrand's strengths in this novel is showing how conflicted people are and how easy it is to 'do the wrong thing.' It was quite realistic in this aspect. Things aren't as cut-and-dried as you would think, when you have to make decisions in the real world it can be quite challenging. I agonized over these decisions with the characters - cheering when they made a smart choice or stayed strong and wailing when they made a bad one or were weak. But being weak is human and Hilderbrand knows that. Every time one of the MCs screwed up the courage to do something brave and difficult, I shouted my encouragement. I think readers might enjoy 'going back to the '60s' in the same way television-watchers might enjoy 'going back to the '80s' by watching STRANGER THINGS. It's fake - obviously both STRANGER THINGS and this novel were made in 2019, but the authors/creators offer 'fake' nostalgia by flooding the world with '60s ('80s) paraphernalia and attitudes. Whether you enjoy this or not is a personal preference, I guess. Some may hate it and find it fake, some may really enjoy it. ONE BAD THING that I will say about the novel is Hilderbrand's tendency to write in declarative sentences. And infodump. It took me a while to adjust to this writing, I hated it at the beginning. She's definitely into telling, not showing. She loves declarative sentences, and dumping a lot of information on you in a paragraph. I got used to it - but some people may not be able to. It's not a particularly skilled way of writing. TL;DR That'll teach me to judge a book by its cover and its basic premise! I was expecting a stupid, insipid book I wouldn't enjoy. Turns out it was a fun, entertaining, gripping book that I enjoyed reading. It's not dark or particularly deep. The best thing I can say about it is that it highlights how hard making choices IRL is and how easy it is to be caught between doing the right thing and making a bad decision. You will be caught up in these women's lives. The book is light. It's not fluffy, but please don't expect some sort of darkness in here or some sort of dramatic way of thinking. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Richard Pennington nn Tiger m 19 6'2” 180lb Kate f 48 Katharine Magee f 19 David m Exalta f Blair f 24 Kirby f Katharine 21 Jessie nn Jessica f 13 Angus m Leslie f Doris f Pammy f Wilder m – committed suicide after Korea. Rex m Eric m Francis nn Frog John nn Puppy Marco m Joey m Scott m Rajani f Alice f Darren m Sallie f Leonard m Nancy f Judy f Carol f Marion f Joanne f Janie f Bill m Larry m Bitsy f Helen f Heather f Ebeneezer m Pickford m 15 Lorraine f nn Lavender Evan m 40 Patricia nn Patty f Barb f Tommy m Miranda f Maureen f Michaela f Trixie f Beatrix Ruth f Lizz f Garrison m 19 Topher m Susanna f Denise f Bobby m Luke m Steve m Roger m Sara f Ivy f Susan nn Suze f Ollie m Zeppelin m Bunny f Eugene m Elsa f Martine f Amanda f Ingrid f Bud m Freda f Shep m Timothy m Joseph m Claire f Matthew m John m Kevin m Sara f Rose f Lincoln m Eric m Randy m Ward m Kimberly f Reggie m Arturo m Gwen f Roy m Penn m Eve f Carolyn f Cassandra f Hank m Cal m Sabrina f Francesca f Donatella f Myrtle f Genevieve f George m Tracy f Jeffrey m Mary Jo f Joelle f Brenda f Ann f Deirdre f Banjo m Romeo m Fitz m J.B. M Jean f Denny m Andy m Shane m Al m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 2020
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Jun 08, 2020
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Jun 01, 2020
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Hardcover
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1682153401
| 9781682153406
| 1682153401
| 3.59
| 114
| unknown
| Sep 24, 2019
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liked it
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THE GOOD - Intense, fast-paced - Art was fine - Interesting THE BAD - Horrible ending. Or should I say non-ending? Lack of an ending. Extremely frustra THE GOOD - Intense, fast-paced - Art was fine - Interesting THE BAD - Horrible ending. Or should I say non-ending? Lack of an ending. Extremely frustrating. - Deals with a lot of bad, horrible things. Might make you depressed. - Not big on character development - BSC I haven't seen the movie, so I have no comment on that. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 15, 2020
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Mar 15, 2020
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Mar 15, 2020
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Paperback
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133549961X
| 9781335499615
| 133549961X
| 3.05
| 20
| Oct 31, 2019
| Nov 05, 2019
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did not like it
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The only reason she was questioning now was because of one sandy blond masculine CEO with eyes the color of the deep ocean at sunrise and a dark beard
The only reason she was questioning now was because of one sandy blond masculine CEO with eyes the color of the deep ocean at sunrise and a dark beard. Celeste had never even liked facial hair before this. But on Reid, all she could think about was running her fingers through it. Or how it might feel against her skin. p. 124 Beards! I wasn't crazy about this novel. Celeste spends every Christmas season in the Caribbean in order to 'escape.' Her fiancé left her at the altar three years ago. She chooses a new resort this year because her favorite resort was wrecked by a hurricane. She discovers it is run by her former-fiancé's former-best-friend Reid. CELESTE Celeste was not my favorite. I was expecting her to be stronger. Instead, she doubts herself all the time, doesn't speak up for herself, and doesn't have self-confidence. I am actually okay with weak heroines. Weak heroines can be done brilliantly, I don't necessarily dislike them or books that contain them. Some of my favorite books have weaker heroines in them. The disconnect here was that she is some kind of marketing executive who I'm supposed to believe grew up on the streets of NYC, lived homeless sometimes, got in scraps defending her younger sister, pulled herself up by her bootstraps and etc. Then her passiveness and lack of spine are jarring to me. The author doesn't do herself any favors, either, by pulling old tricks like "Look, the heroine has sprained her ankle and the hero has to carry her around everywhere! Isn't it romantic!" This is tired and seemed contrived. Reid is rich, he was born rich, and he has a rich man's hobbies and skill set. Not what I'm into, to be honest. His deal is running his dad's company and not allowing his philandering, gambling father to gain control of it again and run it into the ground. Celeste's sister and mother are useless, whiny leeches. Her mother is not only a useless whiny leech but also an alcoholic, a gambler, and abusive towards Celeste. It's very difficult to read about her forgiving these people constantly, giving them money over and over, and dealing with their abuse. Unfortunately she comes off as pretty weak and passive, and Reid is set up to be the strong one. REID Reid annoys me as well. He thinks badly of Celeste (even though she was the one left at the altar) because his best friend filled his head with lies about her. And once Reid and Celeste start having a romantic relationship he turns into a bit of a cold asshole to her. I think Singh is trying to go for "I don't deserve her" and "I shouldn't be with her" as Reid's inner monologue but to Celeste (and the reader) it seems Reid is an asshole who just uses her for sex and then drops her. Not romantic. PLOT CONTRIVANCES Her 'twisting her ankle so he 'has' to carry her around. Them being asked to pose for photos that will be posted of them on the Internet 'pretending' to be couple and even kissing! Ridiculous. He gets called away on a business trip and doesn't even tell her. She thinks he abandoned her. This could all be solved with a simple phone call, and he does call her cell phone but doesn't leave a voicemail because 'this isn't the sort of thing you leave on voicemail.' I think he's implying he doesn't want to say 'I love you' for the first time on voicemail, but how about leaving a voicemail that simply says he has to take a quick flight to Boston? It's quite frankly LUDICROUS that he doesn't do this. It's stupid. Also, wouldn't she see a missed call from him, even though he didn't leave a voicemail? And assume he tried to get a hold of her? And maybe call him back? It's these parts of the novel, which are so contrived, that really get my back up. Lazy writing. It also annoys me how many times Celeste is served delicious, amazing food and then DOESN'T EAT IT because of 'nerves' or 'excitement' or whatever bullshit. I'm like, "EAT THE AMAZING FOOD!!!!" If I could leap into the book and eat the amazing food, I would. Ugh. So annoying. I prefer when heroines eat and enjoy food. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There is no sex in this novel. Well, Celeste and Reid do have sex, but it is completely off-page and we have no idea what happened between them sexually at all. That annoys me. I don't like when romance books don't include at least one sex scene. One and only one thought hammered his brain as he left his room to make his way down to the sofa on the first floor; he could make her forget she'd ever been committed to another man. Hell, he could make her forget that other man even existed. p. 176 Oh, yeah? PROVE IT. Grrrr. Don't make your heroes think egotistical, bragging thoughts like this unless they can fucking back it up and you can prove it. If a hero says this, and then there is a sex scene, the author better make me fucking believe he can put it down. If he turns in a lackluster performance, I'm going to be gnashing my teeth and cursing him and his huge ego which is apparently based on nothing. Secondly, as is the case with this book, if you are NOT going to include any sex scenes in your book, don't make your hero think things like this. It's unfair. There's no way for me to assess if he is actually good in bed or not. It makes me frustrated and angry. Then we have gems like this: She'd never been so wanton, so in need. pg. 205. *Carmen squints* She's just kissing a man and saying 'yes.' Seriously? That's as wanton as she gets? When they wake up after having sex, and he leaves her, she thinks: What had she been expecting? To spend the day with Reid holding hands and walking along the beach? She'd understood last night exactly what she was getting into. The fact that she was hurt and disappointed by the way he'd left this morning was no one's fault but her own. pg. 214 This is false. He's being an asshole. It is not 'only your fault.' GROW A SPINE. Also, this THIS is what drives me to encourage people not only to date, but to avoid one-night-stands and to at the very least have a discussion with each other before sex. People think it's prudish, or that I have some religious agenda, or that I'm old-fashioned... but the truth is it is smart to protect yourself. One-night-stands are something I worry about because they are so high risk. High risk for both males and females. You should KNOW the person whom you are going to have sex with. If you don't know them, get to know them. It's called dating. It helps prevent horrible situations that can arise from allowing someone to have sex with you whom you don't know from Adam. This goes for men AND women. Avoid stalkers. Avoid psychos. Avoid horrible human beings. Spend some time with a person before engaging in a high-risk (both emotionally and physically) activity with someone which could end badly in about five thousand different ways. If you ARE going to have sex with someone, wear a condom. Even if the woman tells you she is on birth control, WEAR A CONDOM ANYWAY. She could be lying. She could have skipped a dose or three on accident. She could have STDs. As a man, honestly, I would be JUST as paranoid about one-night-stands if not MORE paranoid than I am as a woman. Honestly don't know how some men can be so blasé about engaging in sex - a very high-risk activity - with women they either don't know or barely know. It's dangerous. It's very dangerous for both men and women. Three, have pre-sex talks. Discuss using a condom / birth control. Discuss - and this is important - what you think you two will be getting / where you will be going after this. A lot of heartbreak and horror and screaming and hurt can be avoided with this simple idea. Are you going to be dating after this? Boyfriend/girlfriend? Is this just going to be a one-time thing? Friends with benefits? Does anyone have any expectation of being exclusive after this? (That one is SUPER important.) I gave MAJOR points to Laurel Greer for just this kind of talk in her book Holiday by Candlelight. And it's SO RARE. It's SO RARE in romance. And in real life, unfortunately. It's like people WANT drama and pain. >.< Okay, end rant. I just get my mind boggled by this sort of thing. TL;DR What annoyed me were the plot contrivances that were lame and nonsensical. Celeste's weakness clashing with her 'tough' background also made no sense to me. I wasn't buying it. ROMANCE CATEGORIES #OwnVoices Romance - I have no idea about Singh's nationality/ethnicity, so I really have no idea Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Multicultural/Interracial Romance - Reid is white. Celeste is - I'm guessing - Iranian-American. Only Persia is mentioned, though, not Iran by name. Non-Virgin Heroine He's a CEO of a hospitality company; She's a marketing executive of some sort. Takes place in: Jamaica. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Tara f 26 Celeste f Jack m Wendy f Reid m Alex m Natalie f Phillipe m Michelle f Prita f Uma f Rinna f Theo m Dale m Zed m Sanya f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 05, 2020
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Feb 06, 2020
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Feb 05, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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1488042365
| 9781488042362
| B07RCGKFY4
| 3.28
| 76
| unknown
| Nov 01, 2019
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did not like it
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Hopefully no one could see he was carrying around enough baggage to stop a 747 from getting airborne. pg. 8 This book is a mixed bag, but I'm going to Hopefully no one could see he was carrying around enough baggage to stop a 747 from getting airborne. pg. 8 This book is a mixed bag, but I'm going to have to give it a low rating. I'm going to have to give it a low rating because these MCs are fucked up and actually are terrible together. Let's analyze. UNIQUE ROMANCE Caleb Matsuda is: Half Japanese-Half White A practicing Jewish man Disabled – he most of the use of his right hand in a skiing/avalanche accident. A trauma surgeon forced to become a physician due to his injured hand. Garnet James is: A wellness practitioner – specializing in acupressure A protestant of some type or other It's rare that I read a interracial romance that features a Jewish man or an Asian man. It's also the only Hanukkah romance I've ever read. Tons of Christmas romances, but I don't see a lot of Hanukkah romances out there. Very rare. So of course I had to pick it up. Look at the cover! THE GOOD Let's start off by listing the book's good points. There are quite a few. First of all, as already mentioned, Greer isn't going for typical here. I rarely see books like this in Harlequin's lineup. Greer makes Caleb disabled, but his disability is not a big deal. It's part of his life, but it's not some huge, overwhelming thing that dominates the entire story. It's not brought up too frequently or dwelt on. A lot of the 'good' is in the sex. I'm going to have to explore that in my section on sex. When Greer introduces a stupid made-up drama (in this instance: Garnet becomes paranoid that Caleb is using her, or just pretending to be romantically interested in her so he can – get this – make more friends) I was upset, thinking this fake-drama stupidity would last till the end of the book. Not so. Thirteen pages after introducing this concept, Garnet simply voices her concerns out loud to Caleb. Like a fucking adult. This is mature, and shockingly rare in romance novels. Usually authors create fake-drama and then milk it for all it's worth, and it gets resolved at the very end of the novel. Kudos to her for avoiding this. THE BAD Ok, let's talk about the bad. And there's a lot of bad. The main problem I have with this novel is the MCs are terrible for each other. Also, they are very annoying people. Both of them are huge, raw nerves just waiting and eager to get offended by every single little thing. They both love to play amateur psychologist and psychoanalyze themselves and each other constantly. It's SO fucking annoying. They can't even have a normal conversation because each one is SO touchy and SO sensitive that they are just WAITING to be offended. Sometimes, nothing even slightly offensive is said, but they get offended ANYWAY because there might be some deep-down shades of offense if you look hard enough. Sometimes they get mad at each other AHEAD OF TIME, before the other one even says anything, IMAGINING the offensive thing that is going to be said. Geez Louise, these people just CRIPPLE themselves with all this sensitivity and getting offended 24/7 and taking every single thing the wrong way. It's SO exhausting. JFC. I can't imagine wanting to be in a relationship with either one of these people! How can you be honest with your partner or even get to know them as a person if you are just jumping down each other's throats all the time? It's impossible. Each feels like they have to walk on eggshells around the other, and with good reason. Each is just filled with anticipation of soon being engorged by rightful indignation. It's horrible. So they fight and fight and fight and fight. What are they fighting about? Honestly, NOTHING. They just MAKE UP things to fight about. They just make up things to be offended and upset about, that honestly have no bearing on reality or on the other's actual feelings or intentions. It's infuriating. Not only that, but they surround themselves with a group of so-called 'friends' who are the same way. Super-eager to be offended at every single turn, and very excited to use their extremely amateur psychology 101 chops on each other. I would break up with these 'friends' in 0.02 seconds. They are godawful. Not only could I not understand why Caleb and Garnet were romantically interested in each other, I couldn't understand why they tolerated their alleged 'friends' and hung around them. If Caleb decides to do something nice for Garnet, and it's against his actual inclinations, she gets all bent out of shape and accuses him of LYING to her. It's insane. So, what kind of fights am I talking about? Well, one time Garnet makes a comment about Canadians liking hockey and her female friend jumps down her throat in rage for stereotyping. Garnet also has this exchange with Caleb: "I'm surprised that you've tried acupressure. A lot of doctors are still on the fence when it comes to energy treatments. Then again, with you being - " "Part Japanese?" he said, saying it before she did. Being biracial meant he got a lot of stupid questions. Sometimes it was easier to cut things off at the pass. "Must be into Shiatsu and finding my qi?" Her mouth fell open and she reddened. "No. Zach said you were progressive as a surgeon and might be interested in holistic treatments.” 37 Also, I'd like to point out that Caleb thinks Garnet is a practitioner of hippie-dippie shit and really has no respect for her work, which – although it might be understandable from a former surgeon – is really a shitty way to see your woman and view your woman's work. Another example of a fight is when she hears him saying to his mom on the phone that he doesn't think the relationship is at the point where he will bring her home to meet the parents, and she gets SO upset and cries etc. etc., but then also won't allow him to call her his 'girlfriend.' I mean, what the FUCK. Who would want to be in a relationship like this? Constant drama for NO reason that makes NO fucking sense. And he's just as bad as she is. They are both terrible. The flirting, and this couple's idea of flirting is hideous – awkward and strained. You cringe just reading it. She jerks away when he tries to kiss her at 25%, then is okay with him kissing her at 33%. This would be fine if we had any sort of explanation or reasoning. Instead, it's completely arbitrary and we are mystified. She pressures him into skiing again, even though she knows damn well he has PTSD from the avalanche. And he gets over this PTSD, at least related to skiing and going up the mountain, in a flash. BAM. Cured. He still retains his PTSD about fearing Garnet will get injured on her job till the end of the book, so it's kind of a mixed bag. But her pressuring him to go skiing and then him being fine with it was quite ludicrous to me. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? The sex is the only good thing about these two's relationship. In bed they are fine. Maybe because they shut up and don't talk? I actually feel like Caleb is good in bed and it's one of the only places where he has his shit together and can exude confidence. The rest of his life is a disaster. He fingers her in the gondola, it's pretty hot. She's eager to see how he is at eating vulva, and I can't blame her. I would be, too. Unfortunately, we never get there in the novel. When they do get down to having P in V sex, they are very mature and adult about it. They have a pre-sex talk not only about where they want the relationship to go and if they are on the same page, but they also discuss whether she is on birth control and he had a condom. It's excellent. Rarely, rarely do I see this kind of reasonable, helpful approach to sex that allows the characters to avoid any kind of emergency panic that crops up after sex (e.g. Oh, no, we didn't use a condom! Oh, no, I didn't ask if he/she was clean! Oh, no, we didn't discuss if this was just a fling or the start of a relationship and now I'm very hurt and confused! Etc. etc.). Big relief, and major kudos to Greer for this fine example of how to enter a sexual relationship as an adult. At one point she wakes him up to tell him she's leaving, instead of leaving him to wake up in a cold bed in the morning. Excellent. Very courteous. Extra points. Big, major points also to Garnet for asking Caleb to stroke her clitoris during P in V sex. Audacious. The sheer audacity of a woman asking for what she needs in bed to make her come is SO FUCKING RARE in romance, and I'm so glad this scene happened. I could almost not believe what I was reading. I was over the moon that a.) Greer was acknowledging that often cumming on a penis just penetrating you over and over again can be difficult, while pleasurable for some it often does not provide the extra push you need to orgasm. b.) She is brave enough and confident enough and secure in her sexuality enough to tell her man what she needs done in bed. Very sexy, and very good thing to portray in romance novels. More women need to find the courage to say this kind of shit in real life. c.) Of course Caleb fucking does it without any questioning or hesitation, which is very good. I felt he was invested in getting her off and wasn't stupid. He obeys immediately and everyone is happy. I know what you are thinking: you should have known to do that in the first place, jackass. And while I feel you – of course I love a hero who has automatically amazing skillz in bed – I think this kind of touch of realism adds immensely to readers. It lets readers know that it's ok and even common for women to be unable to orgasm on penis insertion alone, it lets readers know it's ok to ask for your lover to do something in bed for extra stimulation in order to orgasm, and that men don't have to take this as a criticism or seeming failure on their part, just file it away as good information and get the fucking job done. (This is about the ONLY time in the book our boy Caleb doesn't take offense at something! LOL) Caleb likes snuggling, both drink French press coffee (yum yum!) and even though Garnet mourns her lack of omelet making skillz, Caleb is like, “I got this.” and he is an awesome breakfast cook. Nothing better than a man who makes you yummy breakfast the morning after! So, the sex was pretty good. Unfortunately, there's a lot more to relationships than sex. And in every single other aspect of their relationship they fail. It's a huge disaster. TL;DR – While I appreciate a lot of things that Greer made sure to include in this novel, the end result was not encouraging. Both Garnet and Caleb are huge walking wounds who just hurt each other over and over and over and over again – and it's completely unintentional. They are both so self-absorbed and so throbbing with their own pain that they can't see the world from the other's perspective. They actively look for ways to be offended by each other every day, they take EVERYTHING the wrong way, they fight over absolutely nothing and they do it every day. The only glowing part of their relationship is the fucking. And I'm sorry, but that doesn't cut it. This is a romance. A romance with not a lot of romantic aspects. I would have loved an interracial, interfaith romance that worked. But I got this. While not a total loss, it's definitely not something I can recommend. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Multicultural/Interracial Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Doctor Romance Disabled Hero He's a Doctor; She's a Holistic Healer. Takes place in: Montana, USA NAME IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Caleb Matsuda. - glasses Garnet f – grey eyes, auburn hair, freckles Zach m Lauren f Nancy f Cadie f Tavish m Ben m Sam m Lachlan m Marisol f Meiko f Bryce m Asher m Harman m Ryan m Jess f Stella f Maggie f Gertie f Mackenzie f Teddy m Andrew m Ruth f Alex m Frank m Bev f Jacy f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 20, 2020
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Jan 20, 2020
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Jan 20, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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0544824253
| 9780544824256
| 0544824253
| 3.35
| 10,963
| Oct 22, 2019
| Oct 22, 2019
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liked it
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He always wanted to talk to Alex, because she was not just his sister, but also his friend, and also, they had both survived that house in Connecticut
He always wanted to talk to Alex, because she was not just his sister, but also his friend, and also, they had both survived that house in Connecticut together, and it was a natural instinct to accept her hand when she reached it toward him... and she was so breathless with the news about their father's heart attack she sounded nearly joyful, which anyone else might have found inappropriate but he didn't, he was on her team, and she was on his... pg. 11 So. I went into this book the way I prefer to go into all books, completely blind. What would it be about? What would the author be like? (This is my first Attenberg.) What surprises lay in store for me? The book does not have a plot. I'm just going to come out and say it. It doesn't have a real story arc. A plot. A getting from point-A to point-B narrative. It takes place over the course of a day or so after, at the beginning of the book, an evil patriarch of the family has a heart attack. How are is wife, two adult children, and two grandchildren affected by this? That's it. If you are expecting some kind of resolution, or, like me, were expecting some sort of twist that would bring the whole book together beautifully, you are not going to get it. You're saying it's open-ended? No. It's not open-ended. It's not closed-ended. It's not anything-ended, there's no conclusion. There's a beginning, which is: patriarch of the family has a heart attack... but there's no ending and the book isn't going anywhere. It's basically: look at this family for a day or two. That might be appealing to some people, unappealing to others. But I think it's a good thing to let people know about. This isn't a traditional narrative. Attenberg is a good author as in putting-words-together. (Which is different than being a good author in re: plotting.) I recoiled from her writing style at the beginning. It's choppy and consists of short bursts and short sentences pasted together, but I quickly got used to it and actually quite enjoyed it. She makes a lot of great, true observations about the world. That is a plus. She also can be funny at times. I never laughed out loud, but I did kind of exhale-air-quickly at a few parts in amusement. This isn't a funny book, but there were a few pieces of humor in there that were very brief - but appreciated by this reader. The main thrust of this book is not for Attenberg to tell a story. That's not her intent, as we can see from her lack of plot. Instead, she is using this book to make statements and observations about misogyny, abuse, the patriarchy, how women have to navigate a life of being second-class citizens to men, feminism. Now. I'm a feminist. A lot of GREAT points are being made here by Attenberg. A lot of great points. She had some very relevant, interesting things to say. Alex realized that this was an important moment in the development of her child. A question was being asked that needed a responsible answer. She could teach her child about honesty, and about the way she deserved to be treated by a man, but also how it was possible to love someone even if they were deeply, deeply, deeply flawed. (And, if she were to be fair to her ex-husband, how it was possible to be attracted to two people at the same time, even have two separate relationships, but that was his line of defense, not hers.) Or was she supposed to tell Sadie that her father didn't know how to keep his dick in his pants, and that he never had, not for as long as she'd known him, not in college when he was someone else's boyfriend cheating with her, not when they lived together in Chicago when they were in law school, not after they got married and moved to the suburbs where they both were equally bored, but still somehow she had managed to remain faithful while he hadn't. Not ever was there a time when that man's penis stayed put where it was supposed to be, instead of living its life as a free-flying dilettante, a party penis, as if it were some sort of rich-kid celebrity DJ hitting new hot spots, London, Paris, Ibiza, except instead of those cities it would be a paralegal's vagina instead. pg. 32 She makes some amazing points about women's emotional labor. She loved him. He was the daddy. Her daddy. He flipped through his marked Bible; he had more to say. "It's OK, I'm listening," she said. And that was the day she invented it, this particular glazed expression of hers. She had created it to please her father, but it had served her well in her life. When she wore it, most men thought she was listening to them, and most women knew that the conversation was over. pg. 42 Every woman in this novel has to cover her real self up in some way, stifle herself, manipulate herself for a man. Put up with men's demands and egos in order to achieve what they want out of life (or whatever the patriarchy tells them to want out of life). The only woman who semi-escapes this is Sharon, a black woman on the periphery of this novel who values her independence and decides not to have children or give away any part of herself to please a man. But she still suffers under the patriarchy, as we see here: She had lived through a long-running commentary on the development of her physique from strangers and acquaintances and certain family members since she was thirteen years old, which meant it had been nearly thirty-seven years that she'd been forced to contemplate her shape by men when she was just trying to live her life, along with all the near misses, gropes, a med school colleague whom she witnessed putting some sort of pill in her beer when he thought she wasn't looking, the tight-gripped greeting of a few men in professional circles, the constant pressure to be something other than herself, phew. No more, she thought. When she went home at night, she wanted quiet. .... The amount of work that had to be put in to protect the self-esteem of men when women should be worrying instead about building their own. This was why men exhausted her so. It was a wonder the world didn't collapse daily from the weight of men's egos, she thought. pg. 271 It's not as if I don't agree with Attenberg's main points. I do. The patriarchy exists. It's terrible. It makes both women and men terrible. Abuse is horrible, abuse breeds abuse. Misogyny breeds misogyny. Women learn to hate themselves from the patriarchy and from men. Women are still not equal to men in society and that is bad. HOWEVER. What bothers me about this book is Attenberg's insistence that no man is good. Or, perhaps more accurately, all men are misogynists. It's like this idea that every white person is a racist. I mean, sure, the patriarchy is very strong and even men who think they aren't influenced by the system that keeps men on top are. Everyone is trained in the patriarchy and raised up in the patriarchy. But I resist this all-men-are-bad garbage. Look, I have some amazing relationships with men in my life. The only good relationship between a man and a woman in this book is the one between Alex and her brother Gary. Gary can't stand women, "except for his daughter." And "except for his sister." All women are this, all women are that, women are such pains in the ass - but I love my daughter and sister. That's misogyny. He's a misogynist. But Attenberg is saying the only good, true, honest relationship with a man you can have as a woman is with sibling - if you are VERY LUCKY. And I disagree with that. Attenberg is telling us over and over and over again that a man and a woman cannot have an honest, comfortable romantic relationship with each other. It's impossible. I DISAGREE. I have had honest, comfortable relationships with romantic partners. It doesn't have to be the horrorfest she is describing, where even if you didn't marry a Piece of Shit (like the patriarch here), you still have to play games with your man and manipulate your man and perform emotional labor for your man because your man has power over you and you are, always in one way or another, performing to earn your keep. You could be starving yourself to please him, shutting up to please him, not stating your opinion to please him, giving up your job to please him, engaging in sex acts you hate to please him etc. etc. etc. but you are destroying part of your soul in some way to be with a man. It's the price you have to pay for heterosexuality, Attenberg informs us. NO, IT'S NOT. You do NOT have to do this. Sure, that's going to make things more difficult for you in the dating/relationship world, but it IS possible. You CAN have a bullshit-free relationship. Attenberg does not believe this to be possible. AS A RESULT of her not thinking a man and a woman can be in a comfortable, relatively honest and loving relationship, she turns a lot of her characters into lesbians. What do you mean, 'TURNS her characters into lesbians.' You don't 'turn' into a lesbian. Ha ha ha ha. In Attenberg's world, you do. I mean, men are horrible, right? And since men are so horrible, why not be with women instead? This is some fucked-up thinking. Some Zane shit. It's insulting to men, it's insulting to straight women, and it's insulting to lesbians. "Oh, lesbians are women who have given up on men. Freed themselves from the patriarchy. Found happiness by cutting men out of their lives." That's not how this works. If there was simply a lesbian character in here, I wouldn't be saying this shit, but this book has more than one lesbian, and more than one secret-lesbian (married to a man she has to please and placate for money or status, but then secretly has love affairs with women on the side). This is just bizarre. Lesbians-are-women-who-have-turned-away-from-men-due-to-bad-experiences shit. She also uses the narrative that's a tired cliche at this point, it's a joke at this point, that women who get interested in feminism start experimenting with f/f sexuality. It's offensive. It's perfectly possible to become a feminist and realize the truth about the patriarchy without deciding to get sexual with another woman. Feminists-are-lesbians-on-some-level shit. And saying straight women eventually wise up and get with women romantically because men are horrible people is offensive. I found her main concepts in this vein to be baffling and exasperating. Also, the ending ("ending") could be a subtle wrap-up. So subtle that you miss the one sentence that explains things. I took it as so-subtle-it-was-unintended, but perhaps Attenberg is creating an ending where she's saying (view spoiler)[Barbra murdered her husband with cocaine, and Twyla becomes yet ANOTHER lesbian-convert. (hide spoiler)] But it's not explicit, clear, or discussed in any way, and you can - I guess - choose to see this ending or choose to see no ending. IMO if the author is going to be this cagey than forget it. There are other minor missteps here: like when a very minor character LITERALLY throws herself into a volcano to kill herself - which is ludicrous and instantly yanks you out of the novel. And there's this sentence, which I hate: Alex and Sadie waved at each other, Sadie's smile a metallic gleam of the most expensive, longest-running batch of braces in history, like some well-loved, sentimental Broadway musical. pg. 29 It's almost unfair to mention this sentence. Attenberg is a stellar writer and most of her writing in this book is on-point. I also was having trouble separating Twyla's voice and Alex's voice in the middle-end of the novel. To be fair, writing perspectives is very difficult. You are one person, so voicing multiple characters distinctly is difficult. I have to point it out, though. It's a weakness in the book. TL;DR I would not recommend this book to anyone. It's not a book I'd recommend. That's not a criticism of Attenberg's skill with words. She's quite skilled. But the book has quite a few weaknesses: its blanket ideas about men (men are horrible people - whether they mean to be or not, aware of it or not; men are dumb or clueless about women because they are unable to see women as fully human), its ideas about lesbians, its lack of plot. It had a lot of strengths: good writing, some interesting and well-written ideas about the world, the book is smart and observant. You might love it - hopefully my review helps you figure out if this book is for you one way or another. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Corey m Barbra f 68 nn Kitty nn Barbie Victor m 73 Alex f Gary m Avery 12 f Abby f Natasha f Tori f Latoya f Sadie f ¼ Korean, ¼ Swedish, ½ Russian Gabrielle f Pablo m Camila f Sharon f Twyla f Sierra f Bobby m – half-Korean Catherine f Anya f Mordechai m Josef m Bernie m Cora f Tracy f Shana f Tonya f Carver m Candice f Tiffany f Maya f Darcy f Garth m Caroline f Vivian f Kat f Raquel f Elena f Portia f Jeannie f Sally f Ringo – turkey Rich m Kimberly f Terrence m Gloria f Mikel m Matthew m Tamara f Jazmine f Layla f Nadine f Roxie f Joseph m Gabe m Miguel m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 19, 2020
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Jun 26, 2020
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Oct 17, 2019
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Hardcover
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1626724423
| 9781626724426
| 1626724423
| 3.55
| 1,406
| Apr 02, 2019
| Apr 02, 2019
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really liked it
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You are looking at the strongest guys in the whole forest. Down here. On this island. So begins THE LITTLE GUYS, a kind of surprising tale from Vera Bros You are looking at the strongest guys in the whole forest. Down here. On this island. So begins THE LITTLE GUYS, a kind of surprising tale from Vera Brosgol. At first, I thought it was empowering. We are the Little Guys. Yes, we are small. But there are a lot of us. Together we are strong, and we can get all we need. [image] We can cross deep water where you can't see the bottom. Off to find breakfast for the Little Guys. [image] We never get lost in the big, dark forest. Nothing to fear for the Little Guys. Things were going along swimmingly. "How great," I thought to myself. "These little guys are little, but they know they have power in numbers. They can get food, all stick together, help each other." Then the book slowly starts taking some dark turns, as we see the Little Guys stealing food from other forest animals and even beating some forest animals up! [image] "None for you! All for us! Hand it over to the Little Guys! [image] But when they try to steal the last piece of food from a little bird, all their booty topples over, and falls into the river, along with the Little Guys. [image] The very animals they bulled and stole from fish them out of the river. [image] Then they learn to share and help others. I guess. TL; DR It's good to realize that even though you and your friends consider yourselves the underdogs, you still have to watch yourself, because you can become a bully or a thief and feel 'justified' about what you are doing because you are 'small' or 'oppressed.' But if you are hurting other people, that is bad and not justified. Sort of a strange kids' book. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 14, 2019
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Hardcover
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153442167X
| 9781534421677
| 153442167X
| 3.89
| 2,254
| Mar 05, 2019
| Mar 05, 2019
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it was amazing
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[image] I am actually going to give this book a five. A little girl wakes up to see her cat going through a portal which opened up in her room late at [image] I am actually going to give this book a five. A little girl wakes up to see her cat going through a portal which opened up in her room late at night. She follows, only to discover that there is a secret world where everyone has an alternate version of themselves. [image] It's quite charming and interesting. [image] The book has no words. [image] RELATED MATERIAL: US - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6857112/ STRANGER THINGS: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/ Let's Get Invisible! [image] by R.L. Stine ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 13, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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Hardcover
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0062846795
| 9780062846792
| 0062846795
| 4.36
| 1,176
| Jan 29, 2019
| Jan 15, 2019
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really liked it
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Once upon a time (but not too long ago), girls weren't allowed to wear pants. Can you imagine? Until Mary Edwards Walker came along and started wearing Once upon a time (but not too long ago), girls weren't allowed to wear pants. Can you imagine? Until Mary Edwards Walker came along and started wearing pants. "I don't wear men's clothes. I wear my own clothes." Mary got a lot of pushback for this, IRL she was arrested numerous times for this. She was pretty amazing, was a surgeon in the civil war and etc. etc. Of course, this children's book only focuses on her objection to wearing dresses. [image] Even though the townspeople are very angry with Mary and throw stuff at her and say mean things to her, she doesn't give up on wearing pants. And eventually pants-wearing by females is accepted by society. It's kind of simplistic and I'm not crazy about the illustrations, but I think it's an important book and a great one for children. [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Sep 12, 2019
not set
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Sep 12, 2019
not set
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Sep 12, 2019
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Hardcover
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1250312841
| 9781250312846
| 1250312841
| 3.85
| 67,837
| May 07, 2019
| May 07, 2019
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it was ok
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"The older I get, the less I feel like I can be judgy of people's lifestyle choices." pg. 123 Freddy is a 17-year-old lesbian who is dating a gigantic "The older I get, the less I feel like I can be judgy of people's lifestyle choices." pg. 123 Freddy is a 17-year-old lesbian who is dating a gigantic asshole named Laura Dean. Laura Dean doesn't respect Freddy or care about her. She picks her up when she wants sex and leaves her when she's bored with her. She cheats on Freddy frequently, often in public, often when Freddy is in the same room. She just doesn't give a fuck. And Freddy keeps going back to her because... ... ... she's amazing in bed? I have no fucking idea. The whole point of this novel seems to be "How BIG of an asshole does Laura have to be to Freddy before Freddy will grow a backbone and cut it off with her?" I was beginning to fear the answer was "she can do anything she wants, and Freddy will be her doormat/sex-toy forever and ever." Kind of depressing. All of Freddy's friends are sick of her shit and sick of seeing her go back to Laura Dean over and over and over and over after Laura Dean pisses on her over and over and over and over. It was really getting to the point of ridiculousness. I couldn't really see WHY Freddy was putting up with this shit. Was it because of the sex, as I was joking about before? Because NOTHING about Laura Dean (besides her looks) seems appealing. I mean, she's a horrible person - and it's not a secret, either. She's openly and blatantly horrible. Is it because this was Freddy's first relationship? Was it even Freddy's first relationship? Is it because Freddy is drawn to abusive women? And what was with all the polyamory talk? If your woman is cheating on you with a lot of different women, it's cheating. It's not poly. It's her cheating on you. Because you wanted/expected fidelity from her and SHE KNOWS IT. You did not have an agreement for her to just fuck whoever she wanted at her whim with zero discussion or input from you, and even if you were polyamorous I doubt that would be an acceptable agreement between partners. Laura Dean was blatantly and flat-out cruel to Freddy, and I was baffled as to why she was putting up with it. Nothing else in her life really screamed "low self-worth" to me. I also struggled with finding this book very confusing. I was often confused. About who people were, what their roles were, why they were doing stuff, what exactly was going on with people's friendships? Was Tamaki hinting certain people had romantic feelings for other people? It was very hard for me to tell. What was going on in the past vs. in the present? IDK. The ending I found especially baffling. I know it's harder for me to understand what is going on in a graphic novel. For one thing, it seems to be super-popular now to draw in black in white with just one accent color. That makes me even more confused. Also, in novels where there is no prose, and we don't see into the characters' heads, it makes it difficult for me to understand what's going on: what are people thinking and feeling? Glad they tackled a tiny bit the old-school lesbian view with the new-school lesbian view. It's really relevant now. TL;DR: It might be frustrating for some readers to see Freddy go back to the (abusive?) horrible Laura Dean over and over and over and over again, despite continued cheating, emotional manipulation, disrespect and passive-aggressiveness. Sure, (view spoiler)[at the end Freddy finally does reach her limit - after Laura Dean fucks up Freddy's relationship with her best friend - but all the wading through you have to get there grates. (hide spoiler)] IDK, I'm not super into reading about relationships with disrespectful cheating assholes. And despite Freddy's being convinced Laura Dean was her gf, I'm not really sure. Are they girlfriends? Or is Freddy just one of many sex-toys Laura Dean uses and discards and plays with and fucks over? She could have ten girls in the school thinking she's their "girlfriend," I'm not sure Freddy has any special hold. Beautiful illustrations. The story was just okay. I would have liked it better if (view spoiler)[ there was a clear ending of Freddy taking up with the cute Vi (hide spoiler)], but you know me, I love a happy ending. Also, I wish I was less confused while reading this. Maybe graphic novels aren't my strong point. They seem to be missing the mark with me lately. NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Anna f Laura f Frederica Freddy f Doodle Deirdre f Eric m Buddy m Misty f Tara f Erv m Erving Maxine f Jennifer f Marcus m David m Marcie f Mo f Peter m Abi f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 11, 2019
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Sep 11, 2019
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Sep 11, 2019
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Hardcover
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B0DN88NFQF
| 4.30
| 64,194
| Sep 17, 2019
| Sep 17, 2019
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liked it
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Middle-grade book. Raina starts fifth grade. I liked this book, but it doesn't really have much of a plot. Raina starts to struggle with anxiety, pani
Middle-grade book. Raina starts fifth grade. I liked this book, but it doesn't really have much of a plot. Raina starts to struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, having a very sensitive stomach, and dealing with a mean girl at school. She ends up in therapy, which the book sweetly makes clear is not a big deal or something to be ashamed of. There's not a cohesive storyline, and that probably won't bother most people, but for me it makes a book less enjoyable. As usual, Telgemeier makes books with wonderful illustrations that involve realistic kids going through realistic problems (ha ha ha, maybe with the exception of Ghosts). The only reason I struggled with it is because it's not really about anything nor does it have the typical hallmarks of plot. I'd liken it to something like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret but with less of a cohesive, structured storyline. If you like Telgemeier's other books you will probably enjoy this. [image] NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Raina f Nicole f Teddy m Michelle f Will m Amara f Jane f Tai m Andre m Serena f Lauren f Dina f Rosa f Louie m Ann f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 18, 2019
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Sep 18, 2019
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Sep 07, 2019
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Unknown Binding
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my rating |
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4.27
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it was amazing
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Apr 27, 2022
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Apr 27, 2022
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4.15
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really liked it
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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4.06
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really liked it
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Apr 08, 2022
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Apr 08, 2022
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4.52
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liked it
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Jun 22, 2021
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Jun 22, 2021
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3.95
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really liked it
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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3.96
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it was amazing
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Aug 02, 2020
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Aug 02, 2020
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4.40
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really liked it
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Jul 19, 2020
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Jul 19, 2020
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4.50
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it was amazing
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Jul 04, 2020
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Jul 03, 2020
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3.26
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really liked it
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Jul 2020
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Jun 27, 2020
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4.26
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it was amazing
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Jun 22, 2020
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Jun 21, 2020
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3.95
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really liked it
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Jun 08, 2020
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Jun 01, 2020
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3.59
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liked it
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Mar 15, 2020
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Mar 15, 2020
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3.05
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did not like it
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Feb 06, 2020
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Feb 05, 2020
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3.28
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did not like it
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Jan 20, 2020
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Jan 20, 2020
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3.35
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liked it
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Jun 26, 2020
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Oct 17, 2019
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3.55
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really liked it
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 14, 2019
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3.89
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it was amazing
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Sep 13, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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4.36
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really liked it
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Sep 12, 2019
not set
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Sep 12, 2019
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3.85
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it was ok
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Sep 11, 2019
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Sep 11, 2019
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4.30
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liked it
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Sep 18, 2019
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Sep 07, 2019
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