Jordan

About 3/4 through I felt that I might not end up loving this book, but by the end I really enjoyed it. I do think it could have been a touch shorter but most everything is really building to something. 

Edit to add: better on re-read. 

Sometimes you want to read Literature™ and sometimes you want to read story with a lovable sentient head of a sex doll, an uzi wielding Jesus, and a stripper named Dong Quixote. 

Realistically this isn't a 4 star book. It felt rushed (because it was) and as a massive BTTF fan, I'd already heard most of these tales in some form or another. I would LOVE this same book but with a deeper dive.

It's getting 4 stars because of nostalgia and my love of the film. That and the little twinkle from the score at the beginning and end of the audiobook made me tear up. 

This starts as an examination of the ideal, but curated (derogatory) life of millennials but ends up feeling like a poor-me story of two people incapable of feeling grateful. 

Maybe that's the true millennial story though. 

The emotionless, distant writing style worked for this story, but the lack of any character depth didn't work for me.

I don't want to get old. I finished this last night. It's a simple, quiet story about an old man grappling with being near the end of his life. Losing more autonomy, dignity, and control. That might sound like it's a dark tale, it's not. There's a lot about things left unsaid. The story shows generational differences in emotional expression. Especially among men. Made me want to be more curious and open. The contrast between Bo's internal experience and those taking care of him really got me thinking about how my 95 old grandma is experiencing the world now. Still not sure on my star rating. Probably around 4 stars.

Well written and researched (from the sounds of it) but only a handful of stories really captured me. Still solid. 

My rating reflects the my overall feelings about the book, but the writing is lovely and unique. I made quite a few highlights. I'd like to read more Salter. 

“He drank his tea. He heard the clack of his dog's old nails on the floor. Hadji sat at his feet, look­ing up, hun­gry like all the aged. His dog that had run in the breath­less snow, stron­g­legged, young, his ears back, his keen glances, his pure smell. A life that passed in an in­stant.'”

It's cute and cozy but a little too corny for my taste. I'm not mad about the inclusion of the octopus by any means, but the entire story could have unfolded without him with slight adjustments. Almost felt like the story wasn't interesting enough on its own so she threw in the magical element. I don't know. Lots of people love it so it's likely just not a book for me. It also didn't help that I can called the “twist” immediately after the ring was mentioned. I get that she wants the reader to discover the twist before the characters, but it felt too obvious too soon. Why do authors give you a clue to a twist but then call too much attention to it? Like with the initials, I feel like if she'd just said “EELS, must be their mascot” and moved on I wouldn't have given it much thought. But she called out the fact that it didn't seem like there were any eels throughout the year book. .

Very solid and enjoyable start to finish. I still prefer the movie, but I'm glad I finally read this.

My first Backman. Beautiful. Tough read having lost my grandpa to Alzheimer's. He was basically my father. What a world. 

The first time I heard of this book it was on one of those “what book do you wish you could read for the first time again?” threads and I think that and the length put me off reading it for a while. Because I wanted to wait “for the right time” to read it. I'm so glad I finally read it, but I mourn the loss of reading it for the first time.

I fear I'm going to struggle to love new books for a while because they will lack the character depth, humor, sadness, and tension this book provides. It's so well rounded.  There is nothing new to be said about this book or its characters but I loved it and them. I'll be living in this epic western for a long time. 

Didn't expect this to be so funny. The narrator killed it. I would definitely do this as audio. The final act felt a little rushed but overall a good time.

It took me too long for how short the book is. That being said, I do wish it was a little longer. Especially in certain areas where the time jumped suddenly. The first half of the book almost felt like she was just reciting facts about people in the neighborhood. It ends up being a good setup for the second half, but it was a little struggle for me. I highlighted an inordinate amount of passages for how short the book is. Some really great lines. I think it framed the trans experience in a way that really helped me feel instead of just know. I didn't love the memoir style of it, but overall I liked it.

“Before you get the chance to define yourself, others trace your outline with their prejudices and their aggressions”

Baldwin's writing style took a little getting used to. He uses lots of commas and split dialog. I found it hard to find a rhythm. Once I slowed myself down, I really started to enjoy this. It is amazing this was published in the 50s. 

I have such an aversion to religion and cult-like organizations, the Earthseed portions of this really rubbed me the wrong way. 

The writing is nice and it's obviously very prescient. And I do agree that change is the only hard truth.

Very fun and ridiculous. I'm intrigued enough to try the second book out. 

The main factor in giving this the score that I did is that I just don't care for stories with a lot of POVs that jump around. The other factor is this was just too long for the story told. Nothing really resonated with me but the story is interesting.

Sometimes memoirs that are chunked up into bit sized anecdotes aren't super satisfying, but as a blink fan, someone who was in or adjacent to this world and some of its stories and characters, I found this very enjoyable. I think even if you are the tiniest bit of a blink fan, you'll have a good time. 

You know those books that describe the everyday, mundane world in a way that you experience but aren't sure if others do? And when you read one, you feel understood? This is one of those books.

Its stream-of-consciousness style and heavy use of footnotes feel like peering into my ADHD brain. It's a very funny book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I want to recommend it to everyone and no one at the same time because I can see how this unique structure and subject matter might not work for some people. 

John Green is a master at bringing humanity to nonfiction. There is so much heart in this. In addition to being informative, entertaining, and inspiring. His emphasis on the greed and injustice of the pharmaceutical industry is much appreciated and does not feel preachy at all. 

Cute. Good atmosphere and the writing is quite nice. It just dragged a bit in the middle for me. 

The characters are a little one dimensional and B Sand loves to over explain (better than under explaining I suppose), but I still find this series very compelling. 

Much better than previous fantasy I've read. I had something spoiled for me and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it even more if it hadn't been. Quite a few lovable characters. I don't feel a HUGE pull to read more from the trilogy because it wraps well enough, but I likely will continue. 

I would love to know Morrie. I loved the talk about collectivism and love, but ultimately Albom's writing made everything feel a little trite. This seemed like a book that was going to gut punch me more. It's short enough that I think it's still worth reading for the perspective. 

I thought by the time I got to this, the hype would have killed it. But I devoured this in 3 days. Which is fast for me. No fluff, just right to the point. Good dialogue, thought provoking stuff. Loved it.