Zell

A bit naive or simplistic at times, but I love the world that Okorafor has built in the Binti trilogy. The way things unfold as Binti learns them makes for an extremely compelling read, I just wish there was more complexity and detail!

Nahr is an amazing main character - she has such a strong consistent personality, but still shows such growth. Her story is vibrant and she is a real, honest portrayal of a person, good and bad, which I love. The skipping from past to present is so effective, and the story is woven so beautifully.

This book brought up some interesting points, but felt like a really shallow look at the “unruly woman” - it just talks about how society sees people, and some history behind that. There is no commentary here on the “rise and reign”, in my opinion. Just lots of explanation of the judgements women face.

I usually hate books about being a mother, but this was HILARIOUS and way too relatable. As someone who has also suffered from severe anxiety since I was a young child and into my adult life, I thought Pritchett did a fantastic job at putting into words so much of how anxiety feels. I loved everything about this.

These stories are so viscerally discomforting and so so so well written. I loved the magical realism and horror elements here, and the wonderful commentary on the experience of being Black. This was an utterly fantastic book.

I really liked this. Gwartney doesn't try to paint herself as the perfect mother, or sugarcoat anything, or demonize her daughters. She just paints a full and well-rounded picture and lets the reader interpret it. I though her experience felt really raw and real, and I liked that there wasn't some cheesy “perfect ending”, just a quiet sense of closure.

Gorgeous photos, great recipes, and really interesting family history. This is a super niche cookbook and I love it!!

This book had an interesting premise and some decent writing (although some objectionable metaphors and similes, and a weird rape comment). But it was just too long and seemed to drag on, lots of nothing happening and going around in circles. I liked the past sections with Akhil, but not much of the present day stuff.

This was so unique and actually way more emotional and significant than I expected from the format. Absolutely personal and a beautiful portrait of a failed relationship.

A solid cookbook with unique recipes and delicious looking pictures. I wish it had more pictures - some of the recipes are lacking them.

I liked the claims here that were rigorously backed up by data, but would have preferred if this book didn't spill over into less rigorously supported points and political opinions. I understand the audience of this book, but would have liked it better if it felt less biased.... and I'm extremely liberal!

This book had some really touching portrayals of motherhood, but it was dragged down by how much of a trope every single character was. I liked the mom's part of the story, the husband was okay, and I think it told an important lesson, but everything was so heavy handed.

A fantastic ending to an incredible trilogy. It had everything I wanted in it - more Spinner, more Koli, and way more Monono (yay!!). I loved every decision Carey made in this and worked my way through all 528 pages in a day - I couldn't put it down!

I read this after reading The Starless Sea, and was worried that it might not measure up..... but I was wrong! Morgenstern is such an incredible world-builder, and I loved the format of this book so much. Not as complex as The Starless Sea, but still twisty and beautiful. I loved the Circus, and the descriptions, and the characters. Absolutely flawless.

A solid essay collections, lots of 3 and 4 star essays with some 5s thrown in as well. Some are better than others but this collection as a whole is a great explanation of how we got into the trump presidency, why it sucks, and what we can all do. Definitely worth a read.

Just wow. This was an impeccably crafted twisty story, I had no idea what was going to happen. I'm very impressed with all the twists. Anna was fantastically written - as a therapist, there is nothing I hate more in a book than a poorly written MHP, and Anna was SPOT ON. Such a good book, such engaging characters, so well written.

I generally enjoy an unlikable protagonist, but I absolutely could not get over how much I hated Cleo. She was so completely self-centered and ruined everyone around her, and she just got away with it. This book dragged on and I just wanted her to get what was coming to her.

This was an absolutely fantastic novella. The writing was beautiful, the plot was heartwrenching, and the conclusion was everything I wanted it to be. This draws you in, breaks your heart, then spits you back out with just enough of a happy ending to make up for it all.

This was fantastic and atmospheric. I love a good mixed media kind of book, and this was creepy and really well done. I enjoyed it all so much.

This was a really solid read, and as a former Yamhill County resident, it hit close to home. I thought the personal stories were the strongest part, and the connections drawn were good, but it felt like it tried to tackle too many topics in a single book. Overall strong reporting and relevant conclusions.

Just like the first book in the series, this one was fantastic. I love Cup, Koli, Spinner, Monono, and Ursala, and all for different reasons. The characters here are so vibrant and I enjoy the world building and plot so much. The tech and explanations are fascinating and connecting them to our world is hugely enjoyable.

This was a fantastic book. I didn't find it as compelling as The Bluest Eye, but it was nonetheless a solid novel. I really liked the characters of Paul D and Denver, and found Beloved to be both incomprehensible and deeply unsettling. The voices of the characters here were vibrant and the commentary on slavery was brutal and heartwrenchimg.

This book was heartbreakingly brilliant. I love a good memoir, and this was a fantastic one. So blunt and honest, no sugarcoating, but ultimately so inspiring. Jaouad is someone I would love to have as a friend, and her story was beautifully told here.

Beautifully written, with extremely well fleshed out and realistic characters. I loved the format and the timeline of this novel, and truly enjoyed every minute. Such interesting historical information, with characters that make it all feel so present and important.

Meh. Interesting premise, but the main character was two dimensional, shallow, and boring. This novella was short, but still felt too long and meandering. Not for me.