Zell

I really really liked this one. The wit and tone and the structure really worked for me.

Some of these stories were good enough for me to want to brave the run on sentences and particular style of prose that Wideman uses. Others felt tedious and overly opaque. Interesting ideas and lots to say here, but it wasn't accessible for me

Great balance of history and recipes, would have loved more pictures.

I love this kind of mixed media exploration, and this was beautifully compiled and overall a gorgeous book. Such powerful content.

This didn't work for me. I hated the asides to the reader, the pacing was all over the place, the dialogue was messy, and the characters were caricatures. This book became steadily more and more absurd as the story continues, and the ending feels so rushed and nonsensical compared to the rest of the book. It's like it totally switched genres in the last thirty pages.

Well written, with interesting characters, a fascinating premise, and lots of great twists and turns. I liked the misdirection on who would be to blame for Melanie being in danger, but felt like some of the “ESP” stuff was a little overplayed/cliche.

I loved the new characters introduced in this sequel - Kaufman and Kristoff write such wonderful three-dimensional people, and I really enjoyed getting to know Niklas, Ella and Hanna. The plot and format of the book were flawless, just like in Illuminae, and I can't wait to read the conclusion to the series.

Such a lovely and heartfelt story about growing up Korean in America and familial relationships. I saw so much of Michelle's relationship with her mother in my own experiences, and was deeply moved by this story.

This book was weird as hell and I loved every minute of it. The characters are so interesting and unreliable, and I was fascinated by the way their stories unraveled. This was riveting and bizarre and absolutely fantastic.

Fantastic and super interesting stories, for the most part. One or two didn't really resonate with me, but I did really appreciate the idea of the collection.

I don't get this. These stories just aren't good. They're pretty nonsensical, overly descriptive and meandering. They're weird and gross and not in a way that is needed.

Very detailed historical information, I wish there was more commentary. I felt a little overwhelmed by fact after fact, but there's a lot of good information here.

Such a beautiful conclusion to the Binti trilogy - I loved the way this book really drew everything together and focused on the relationships that Binti builds throughout the trilogy. The characters, world, and lore are all so vibrant.

Compelling and deeply personal mix of personal anecdotes and statistics, this book was extremely well written and comprehensive. I felt like it had a good balance of content and was accessible but also full of good data.

This book was a little dry and the pacing was a bit meandering at times, but the characters were layered and complex and beautiful. I really enjoyed the commentary on relationships and culture, and especially loved Shoko's Smile, A Song From Afar, and Hanji and Youngju.

I. Love. This. So. Much. Everything about it is incredible. I LOVE Kady as a character, and AIDAN possibly even more. Such a unique experience and such a cool format for a book. This was completely enthralling.

I really enjoyed the international inspirations for this book's recipes, but the starters lost me a little bit. The mains and desserts sound delicious though, and the pictures are beautiful.

I love the mountain goats music, and was pleasantly surprised by how Darnielle's genius translated into prose. This was a fantastic and totally unique story. The worlds that were built in it were imaginative and charming, and the main character was one of a kind. I would have loved more of Lance and Cassie's story woven into Sean's, it felt like something was missing and I think it was their perspective.

A short, sweet story about a middle-aged woman learning to love herself again. I will admit that there seemed to be some Japanese fetishization, and the idea of falling in love with your masseuse is a little creepy, but Alice felt like a flawed, three dimensional narrator due to these qualities. I really enjoyed this character story told in a letter.

I loved the dual storylines of this book, and thought the way they built to a mutual conclusion was beautiful. The back and forth was a little confusing at first but once I settled into it, it felt really natural and was a great way to tell Michael's story. I loved him as a character and thought the plot was beautiful. As far as a book about wanting to die goes, this is everything “The Midnight Library” wanted to be but wasn't able to.

Haunting and beautiful, set in a world that feels like it could easily be ours 50 years down the road. I enjoyed the imagery, the gradual reveals, and the unreliable narrator, and though the ending was absolutely beautiful.

The most adorable depiction of a gay high school romance I've ever seen. This is perfection and I love both Charlie and Nick. The art style goes perfectly with the storyline.

Beautifully written, a little sparse but in a good way. I found the changing perspectives a little confusing, but the characters were well crafted and distinct, and the concept was really interesting. No real plot, more of a family study, and a solid four star read.

I really liked this book. I liked the allegories here, and found the beekeeping parts to be the most interesting thing in the whole book. I think although the symbolism is pretty obvious here, it is well done and provides a great image. Really well done.

This was good, but it didn't wow me- a solid retelling with focus on how the female characters feel, but it just felt a little flat and I didn't find the emotions, reactions, or conversations very realistic.