books

okay so last night (this morning i guess) i woke up at 3 am anxious about this book so i finished it and i am still anxious. what’s going! i can’t stop thinking about how this book made me feel and how much i disliked and dreaded it and deeply unsettled this was!!!! i was and still enraptured with fear !!! what’s going on!!! can someone read it so i can discuss???? why is my soul bothered???

added invisible man to my reading list and now looking for courses on literary theory on youtube so i can properly understand everything i just read, beyond the obvious parts of plot and book within a book stuff

not my thing for sure. it has beautiful prose and the narrative structure was interesting but i didn’t connect with the characters. i felt frustrated with the book and didn’t feel like it went anywhere. this was a book of poetry that was presented to me as a novel. <br/><br/>the prose is sometimes incredible and beautiful but other times the constant pauses and artsy commas drive me crazy and it feels like an extended rupi kaur poem. “he gave me first my first pizza bagel and what else was I supposed to do but follow him?” <br/><br/>this is how you lose the time war is a book that has beautiful prose and still moves the plot along in a meaningful way

this was an incredible book. i highly recommend it. it was disturbing, enthralling, and gory. the last 40% was amazing. so gross and so good

i just finished isles of the ember dark, but i decided to re-read this as i was reading ars arcanum n an effort to make sure i was not missing an out on any cosmere. it was interesting re-reading after isles of ember dark and seeing which pieces of the story became even more meaningful going forward

i wanted this book to be a bit more in depth than a basic overview of different subjects. i agree with other reviews that youtube channel goes more into depth about recommendations and subject matter (she often posts hour long videos). overall, it is a cute book, but effectively a coffee table book.

the ending was quite good but this felt like the silent patient in terms of “where are we going?” “i hate this character and her passivity and judgement of others”

i’m trying to be nice bc i didn’t realize this was targeted towards young person and I am assuming it is really for someone in high school. it was recommended on life kit so i was like yeah prob good advice but not actually for someone who is already really into this type of thing. <br/><br/>anyways, the actual key to building lots of wealth is building a business on top of doing basic stuff. huzzah

this was cute and cozy read. it was sweet. 3 star book. my expectations were met.

my least favorite brandon sanderson book by far. during date night on tuesday, zach and i spent an hour just ranting about it

i liked it. this is much more about the oklahoma city bombing than i thought. yes, like the title does mention him, but i didnt know who he was until i read this book and thought it would more in depth cover how right wing movements form. it is a history of the oklahoma city bombing, with a thorough discussion on how the same political movement and apathy towards this group inspired january 6th. still good, and lots of discussion, but mostly a history so be prepared for this.

definitely my favorite one!!!

this book was so all over the place that it made me not want to pay attention to the thing i came here for: the volcano!!!

at first the writing style can be jarring, but then you quickly realize that it is part of the art. this is a beautiful story and i cannot feel but taken in by the story of mr stevens and really enjoyed reading it. this book is definitely one that requires research and discussion on the plot and artistic choices.

not as good as the first, but i also flew through this book. i might re-read it again! <br/><br/>i like the introduction of a new dinosaur and the long descriptions of man’s perceived version of dinosaurs and failure to actually replicate the original dinosaurs. i like all the extinction discussion that perhaps a change in behavior of one species led to the downfall of all species and perhaps man is that species.

i kind of teared up at the end idk

DNF

i wanted this to be carrie soto in space. such a cool concept but just didn’t dive into the technical details of carrie soto to keep my gripped during personal story.

like if u cried

no elantras were featured in this novel :(

this book did not deliver on any of its promises. you could have cut out the entire middle section. it felt there was no justice done but not even in a clever, i still feel rewarded way. alas.

woah! this was really good.

*opens window so i can look out the window to hide my tears and be wistful*

this book didn’t ever make the two main characters seem like actual adult friends, just remnant friends from their childhood . i wish we had seen them being friends for longer before they stop talking bc of the shooting. it became awkward bc they hadn’t talked about race before which seems odd if they had been friends for 20 years? <br/><br/>it also felt like since they made jen not a great person, their friendship lacking (see above) and allowed the husband to be less culpable, so it avoided actually dealing w the complex topics! why is the pinnacle of the book riley getting w corey rather than having a really conversation w jen and riley

i cried a lot at the end because i was extremely moved and i needed a cathartic release. women deserve better. <br/><br/>the book dragged in the middle and was more spicy than i thought it was going to be, but i really liked it and reminded me of the women by kristin hannah.

incredible! really added to the lore and very interesting to see the strings connecting the characters to catching fire and beyond. me thinks i might read the hunger games now

it was a beautiful interesting story of trauma and how violence impacts individuals. interesting take on true crime. would have gotten 5 stars if it was a bit shorter and more condensed, as it meandered in the middle. (long book that feels very long. kind of like pachinko tbh) <br/><br/>would recommend!<br/>

finished in one setting. i care a lot more about TB now. i learned so much about tb and poverty and the global healthcare system and it angers me more that USAID has been defunded.

i thought it was sweet. finished it in one setting. cried on the airplane.

filed under books where i think i don’t know what’s going on only to confirm i perfectly understood it but don’t think i agree w the choices made

such an interesting history that was thoughtful about the way individuals in history experienced and continue to experience lasting impacts of spanish colonialism. opening and ending lines were bangers and maybe one day i will own this book so i can read through it again.

his approach to life is so interesting and self-assured. the main points i took from his memoir is to don’t have ass it and to trust in myself/abilities.

i love birds! this book makes me want to memorize all these birds and then go outside and try to see them!!!

love u murderbot

i teared up a little towards the end. sweet, sappy, sad. i enjoyed this book and the padavano sisters.

this was so short i finished this on accident while waiting for wind and truth to download to my kindle

i was powering through this book in the last 24 hours i did not enjoy it there was not plot no one was likable the sex scenes were not sexy but the email sections that were just large inner dialogues and thoughts on humanity were interesting and i liked the concept that history is what happens while you were caring about sex and friendships

enjoyable read. sad read. a book about imperfect people trying to accept that they are imperfect despite their best intentions, and that we must love each other anyways<br/><br/>not my favorite sally rooney book but nevertheless enjoyable. with normal people and conversations with friends i felt like an addict reading it and this felt more relaxed. beautiful world where are you is my next book! <br/><br/>kind of random but i liked the little way covid was mentioned. because that felt more like the way it is experienced now, just mentioning it offhand. not a spoiler more or less a comment on how natural covid/pandemic was mentioned.

i can definitely see why this book is controversial if you look more into the history of the events that inspired it, but the narration and romance is still wonderful. <br/><br/>i feel very relaxed and in a slight daze reading this book, as this isn’t a particularly gripping page turner, but feels more like catching up with old friend; ie, something comfortable.<br/><br/>it took be a long time to read this book compared to similar books of this size bc i’ve been bouncing around, but i think that made me enjoy it more since it was so poetic. <br/><br/>this book reminded me of a covid novel bc it explored what characters do when normal routine is shoved out the window.

i will think about this book for a long time

typical “i would not make the same choices these characters made and get myself in that situation” type of thing in thrillers but i enjoyed it. very short and quick and last 30% was really engaging!<br/><br/>mom and i listened to it during our drive to anacortes/whale watching! and then i watercolored while listening to it

needed to finish this before my mom visiting!!! loved this book. emily henry books just fill me w so much joy :)

i love you lift! or lyft! (audiobook)

this was the worst of the lucy foley books. i liked all of them but this ending felt very obvious and the characters didn’t have particularly good secrets. this felt like it reused elements of the other books but not in an interesting way. i think the guest list was my favorite

quick cute read!

i liked this book. it’s a book about rocks.

i liked this one more than other ali hazelwood books !! sex scenes were very interesting lmao i don’t know if it was necessary but it did happen and it was somehow a plot device

lowkey crying in my car bc this book was so beautiful and such a good women experience book. i loved the interview w the author at the end. def recommend

this book was annoying. i started and finished it on a plane bc i felt like i wanted to dnf but i was determined so i skimmed it and felt like i got a better experience that way. this book didn’t really talk about anything and i was tired of the main character. she was annoying. i’m so happy she is skinny and pretty and went to columbia and has enough money to do nothing for a year but what the hell

hi my name is alyssa and i cried a lot during the last hundred pages on the train to porto. a cathartic experience and splendid ending to this trilogy (that doesn’t feel like a trilogy) i will miss the characters of this book and i wish them the very best

i did not enjoy this book!<br/><br/>this book felt liked it was trying to be three different things, a romance, a commentary on poverty and money and happiness, and then a silly game about wishes (think willy wonka and the chocolate factory). but it didn’t do anything well. do not recommend and ONLY didn’t dnf bc i am a trooper

this was awesome!!! great historical fiction about a time period/legal system i don’t know much about. very interested in midwifery now

local gainesville author?? fire. i really liked the description but i think my lower stars is because i finished about half the book while sitting on the 520 bridge during really bad traffic

this was fine. cute even.

i feel deeply connected to these characters. i plan to revisit this review to determine if i’ll stick w a 5. this is the kind of book i want to keep safe and hold it close to me. tom hanks did a fantastic job reading this

pretty cover. i love a good romance but this was a bit boring in the middle 200 pages and i didn’t find the guy super attractive. this feels like a good book if it wasn’t framed as a romance but something else so it didn’t meet my expectations

wow! this was an incredible story. true crime elements, womanhood, interesting and thoughtful characters put in difficult situations. i really enjoyed this book and was excited and sad to get to the end<br/><br/>finishing this and us against you around the same time has made me think about parenting a lot. us against you made me think of the important of being there for a child and how to fight for them, and this book made me think about how you are still a person who makes mistakes as a parent.

this book taught me how to be a better parent? i’m not a parent so not sure how helpful this is yet

this book was pretty insane and i really like the format. it took a pretty modern concept (true crime poscast) and made it really interesting. first half of the book has crazy tension and is a little slow, but then second half explodes.

me and camille were so engrossed in this book <br/><br/>+bonus points to camille and I listening to this audiobook together. it was just fun

this is my 4th romance novel since sunday. what’s going on with me?

loved the concept and really liked reading about her life as a snl writer but damn not a super likable narrator! it kind of felt her romantic interest was made for her and that he never had any of his own problems or issues. which made it boring and a bit unrealistic. it also felt strange that this woman didn’t feel that successful despite being successful?? so that was confusing !!<br/><br/>good video to watch related to this topic contrapoints video on twilight bc i feel like the love interest was this type of fantasy character.

romance ✅ fun ✅ friendship ✅ could i predict the ending of the book as soon as i started? ✅ is this one of the better silly fun romantic reads? ✅ pottery reference? ✅

five star book in terms of entertainment and engagement! lots of things i love about this book and a few things i wish were different

you have bewitched me body and soul

baseball

i liked this book better as an audio book. just a fun quick read

ready to pull up to the puppetry museum

this was a fun read!!!!!!

i often ask for books with unlikeable female characters and then i receive one and im like hmmmmm oh that’s why<br/><br/>i liked this one the best of the three bc there was actual drama and it explained more of the characters personalities from in the first book. it had an actual ending that made sense and didn’t end extremely abruptly. but mostly i love drama and this book was sooooo silly and dramatic and had teenagers making really silly decisions. love that<br/><br/>also pro: belly had female friendships that were actually interesting! <br/><br/>

these are very short books

i was trying to a read a book that was very different than pachinko and babel. i succeeded. i have questions. why did the book end so abruptly

i liked the book as a concept but it was such a slog to get through. i didn’t care about all the characters and there were some passages and that felt completely strange and unnecessary. it felt like i really understood the first half and then the second half spiraled with all the characters.

bleh i didn’t like this book and found almost all the characters super annoying. did not care at all about the narrator

hehehe i loved it

so cute so sweet

i definitely sprinted through this book. i was captivated by the story and how the author portrayed the sackler family. it was really interesting to learn about the beginnings of the medical advertisement industry, and the ways super rich people can remain rich. <br/><br/>it is mind boggling to me that the sackler family never admitted any kind of guilt or wrong doing about causing the opioid crisis, and never faced any significant repercussions because of their actions. the whole book felt like it was building towards their reckoning, and it was so upsetting that it never happened. <br/><br/>i plan to watch all the beauty and the bloodshed now! <br/><br/>i think my favorite types of books are investigative journalism that are told as stories, as this book gripped me the way under the banner of heaven and into thin air did. i plan to read other books by this author, but i think i need a fun crime thriller as a break.

it was a cute book. i don’t think these type of romance books are my thing but i still really enjoyed it. however i started to cringe at the super sappy stuff

amazing book. one of the best books i have read in a very long time

this book was pretty slow in the first half, but still an interesting examination of the 1940s show business. the second half of the book was more engaging! overall, i enjoyed my time reading this book

i took a lot of notes on this book. think i read this at a good time in my life where i have a lot of free time. <br/><br/>there’s a lot of things in my life i know that i need to do better for myself, and it brought it to my attention. it also reminded me to be grateful for this time i have. traveling has emphasized this thought for me.

i didn’t cry! but i really enjoyed this book. i liked hearing about her taking care of her mom and learning how to accept the person her mom was and making peace with her identity.

super fun book!!!! good choice to read in europe lolz!!! <br/><br/>picked up a copy of this book in a hostel in vienna and finished it on my kindle after checking it out via libby

i like this book about work. still processing and will come back later with review. i’ll see which quotes are my favorite

super crazy plot and i kept going

kate quinn might be my favorite author. i love reading her books knowing they are well researched and telling beautiful stories of either real women or very close to real historical women. <br/><br/>diamond eye in particular was so interesting!!! like a woman on the front lines!!!! she gave such life to mila i loved learning about mila’s life and actions and how she chose to be mother, fighter, lover, and historian. i have never read a book that let me understand how a woman or person living in pre ww2 society union would love and enjoy living there. it’s the first book that really made me understand a soviet perspective (lol sorry i’m american) and why she became the person she is. idk!!! i just loved this book and it was awesome. also freaking eleanor roosevelt is her bff!!! that’s crazy<br/><br/>i read this book via audiobook and jetsetted to europe in the middle, so i’ve been with mila for a long time.

i loved this book! it was a super fun and quick read. i really liked this thriller with all the twists. i also thought the characters seemed realistic and well developed. the premise of the novel was very interesting!!!

i enjoyed the message of the book, however the first part is really slow. i really liked its commentary on modern day racism and using folktales to tell stories.

this book exceed my expections! i very much went into this book thinking it would be a simple easy summer romance, and it was so much more than that. i loved it and loved what it had to say in motherhood and being your own person.

this book makes me think a lot about how wars have endless impacts ob people around them, rippling across history and time. i’m interested to see how much will be written in my life (as a concept) as i get older and how different sociology principles caused me to be the way i am. <br/><br/>i didn’t know that much about schizophrenia before this book, but it helped understand more about a part of society that i didn’t interact with previously. <br/><br/>i like the reflections in motherhood.

honestly i took forever to read this book! i started it and then waited a bit before finishing it and read books in between. <br/><br/>the main theme of this book was taking women seriously, no matter what hobby or profession women pursue. as a little stem girly, i definitely relate.<br/><br/>i really enjoyed all the rowing bits because i used to row!!!! and it was cool seeing a sport i loved show up unexpectedly. <br/><br/>i really enjoyed the matter of fact tone of the novel, that women (and people) experience terrible things, and that you may just have to trudge through life instead of dealing with the hardships emotionally. eventually tho, you will have to deal with them. the other lesson of the novel is that you should help people who try to break the status quo, not hinder them.

the twist was crazzzzyyyyyy. slay for a fun quick read

this book was super fun. i went into it a bit blind so everything was surprising!!! this was a cute book and i’m thankful for the happy endings. lots of relevant topics and discussions.

WAHOO! i just finished it while riding a bike so i could get into the final match. loved this book a lot and really liked hearing about carrie as a bad ass tennis player

it was very romantic and i don’t know what i was expecting bc i’m starting to realize i don’t love romantic books but that was good and made me be grateful that my boyfriend is not going to be in any helicopters any time soon.

i started this book by listening to the audiobook which made me really like the character of joy, and she felt so real to me like my own mother!!!!

had no idea what this book was about and just started listening to the audiobook. i loved it and had lots of very quotable and relatable sections. i will think about this book for a while afterwards. a life is still a life!

loved the characters and all the random stories of different celebrities hanging around the family. very fun

i am in an arrival mood

i’ve never read a book that explored grief so much! really good i liked the build up and the fall and complex characters

nice easy read. found a random audiobook on youtube and it was great for driving in the car

this book is devastating. really good. really really good.

excellent plane read. so good. empowered me to get through my orlando to phoenix flight

advice to people reading: just keep reading!!!! it is a little slow and weird in the beginning but then it picks up

very sweet book. i would recommend this book for people who love historical fictions and are fascinated the parts of history where multiple religions coexisted together. i also really like the women focused parts of history, it was just really fun to read. i think after this book i want to read more books written about female characters in this time period and in the same areas. (southern europe & northern africa in the 1400s)

i think i was more interested in the prehistory aspect than the rest of the book but i liked it as a general introduction to lots of questions on interesting topics and ideas, like happiness and religion.

one of the better productivity type books i read. i like that it focuses on improving the creative process with methods that do not cause friction because they simply work with your life. everything in this book feels very attainable and approachable, and i found it fun to try to immediately attempt some of the things the author suggests. i would highly recommend reading this book!

i really liked the historical fiction part of the book, and i was really engaged with marian’s story. i wasn’t expecting to be so enraptured with it, but marian’s story was so complex and beautiful. i liked hadley’s story, but it was not as satisfying as marian’s. i still like what i added, and i enjoyed having the differences in voices throughout the story to help break it up.<br/><br/>i also really liked the zoom in feature the author uses to focus on different character. it was cool that we got to know a few smaller characters really well and i enjoyed that perspective. i also liked the brief history sections which were really fun. <br/><br/>there is a lot of sex in this book, btw! it is not written like a romance novel, but rather is discussed related to character development and plot. <br/><br/>i would recommend this book if you like woman focused books and historical fiction. i really liked it!!!

i love books that make you have a richer appreciation for the medium itself. it makes you love that aspect of humans. we tell stories to make us happy, to teach us, and to feel a little bit bigger than ourselves. that's what this book is all about. i highly recommend this book, and it will get you thinking for a while after about the importance of reading and writing good stories. probably the best book of the year for me.

i really loved this book and its discussion of parenting. i am 23 and do not have kids, but the discussion of parenting in this book makes parenting seem a little less scary. anyways i loved it and it was so awesome

i think about this book a lot. definitely one of the best books i read this year

super sweet and concise. inspired me to be open about sharing my art and myself online.

i was a little iffy in the beginning but i really liked it. i also think the author's inclusion of the historical notes at the end of the book was awesome and made me appreciate the book more.

i really liked this book. i thought the story was awesome and i liked how it told the story of henrietta's cell's beginnings, and included how much this impacted her family. however, i really wanted to like it more because so many people talked really highly of this book, but the story was a bit slow for my taste. i would recommend it, but there is a little something missing for me.

So good!!!! I really enjoyed the story of Circe. I felt it combined what I loved about the percy jackson series and made it more adult and real. I really liked how it dove into the philosophy of immortality and the hardships of being a woman.

It was one of those books I would read a few chapters of and then head to bed a few nights a week. I could read other books between it, rather than stay up all night to finish it. I enjoyed the book, but is it because I enjoyed the prose and the fascinating world of Theodore Decker rather than a particularly interesting plot.

the first book got one more star due to the interesting world! this one felt too similar but the structure of this book felt wrong and i am growing weary of alex’s repetitive self-hatred and repetition. not catching fire

smoochies