Katie

I wanted to give this book a hug after I finished it. I had already read the last story in the New Yorker, but it was even better the second time around and with more meaning because of all the other stories. These linked stories made me cheer each time we got to spend a little more time with one of the characters. :)

I'm sure this was a good book, I just didn't understand it or enjoy it. I think you might have to know a lot more about the Philippines than I do to get lots of the references.

I'm not sure why I picked this up–it must have been a glowing review somewhere, because I don't really read this type of book much anymore. But it turned out to be the perfect thing to read pre-colonoscopy when my brain was mush from a clear liquid diet. Not challenging, fairly predictable, nice characters, etc. Serendipity.

I liked the beginning of this book, though much of it was history I already knew. I loved the middle of the book and her ideas around reparations. The last part veered a bit into self help, which wasn't really what I was there for. The center of the book gets a big five stars from me.

I mean, if you're not picking about a story actually ending, then this was a great book. I'm white, so I can't say if this white woman was able to write non-white characters well. That said, I enjoyed getting to experience their lives and their thoughts, and the story was interesting and definitely pulled you along.

This was probably a 3.5 for me. I don't usually enjoy history books like this all that much–the sources just feel so palpable in the writing. But the history was certainly interesting, and provided lots of details that I didn't know. I do wish there had been so many more pictures.

This book didn't change my mind about the death penalty, but it did give me a lot of interesting background about the issue.

Oh, I really, really liked this book until the last 3 or 4 pages. Up until then, I loved the writing style, the realistic depiction of the main character's emotions, and how she could recognize her faults and change.

I liked her straightforward style of writing a lot. The story was interesting, disturbing, hard to read in parts. I'm not sure if I liked the author as a person or not, but it was a good read.

The way this book jumped around in time (forward and back) and from character to character really detracted from the story for me. I felt like I needed to be taking notes to keep track of everything. Also, I'm just not one for poetic language, and this had lots of it. This was not the book for me.

This was engrossing for sure. As with lots of sci fi or magic books, the magical elements didn't quite make sense to me (especially at the end) but it was still a powerful story. I'll be looking for the sequel.

This was an interesting, but slightly surface-level read. It's a huge topic, and a pretty short book, so not surprising that it felt a little surface-level. Still worth reading just for the peek inside people's lives.

Ugh. I never even would have picked this up if not for my son insisting. I tried to stop halfway through but he insisted more. Not my cup of tea. The author obviously thinks people can be born evil.

I started out thinking this was one of those books that could have been a paragraph if only the characters would actually talk to each other. But it grew on me, at least until the end, which left me wanting someone else I know to read it so they can tell me what happens. :)

So funny and horrifying and satisfying and good.

So, this was fun. I appreciated that there were all kinds of romantic partnerings in here, not just cis men and cis women. I don't think I loved any of the stories enough that I'll rush out and find other stuff by those authors, but maybe that's just because most of the stories were fairly painful.

So love this series. This wasn't my favorite, but it was still good.

Wow. This book contained so many fascinating concepts. I've always thought it's good to avoid going to the doctor because then you won't be sick (ha, ha) but she actually brings validity to this concept. Also, the idea that the body uses illness to express what we can't say in words, that the body has its own language to cry for help, was really interesting. The discussion of Havanna Syndrome brought such a new light to this whole episode, and when compared with the reaction to similar things happening to non-white, male, educated people, really shed a light on society. Anyway, read it!

I really didn't understand the appeal of this book–gave up just over 100 pages in. It's a frustrating story of not getting work done one his house, but that's the same thing over and over. Combined with him hanging out with his friends and neighbors and their discussions, which is the same thing over and over. Interspersed with bits of the history of his family (?) in really disjointed little snippets that I found hard to follow.

Well, not sure what to say about this book. It was way more erotic that what I normally read. Also, the metaphors were blunt/obvious enough that even I got them, which is saying something. And the little bit of magical realism was a strange touch.

I just love this series so much. The characters are great (and I wished I remembered them better from previous books so it would be more like encountering old friends than like meeting them for the first time–but it was still great). I wish there were going to be more!

This was a fun read.

Well, this was an interesting read, but I didn't quite see the point of the author's journey, except to consistently throw herself into danger, into other people's lives, etc.

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book. Everything in it seems way too good to be true, but if even 10% of it were true it would still be pretty miraculous. Anyway, it was an interesting read and it's always heartwarming to read about amazing recoveries.

This was a concise but interesting-fact filled survey of housing and homeless issues in the area surrounding Disney World in Florida (the same setting as the fantastic movie The Florida Project). He gives the reader lots to think about and lots to advocate for.