Hana Gabrielle Bidon

Rating: 3.75 stars

I love that Jaime from myTBR recommended me this book. I normally don't like slow-paced romance books but this one has managed to grab my attention from start to finish. I love the character development and the politics behind this book. I wish that the book was longer though and there was a plot that was more fulfilling, but otherwise, well done.

I love how magical and wonderful the book is. Not to mention, I appreciate an amazing sapphic romance and this novel did not disappoint me one bit. I wish the book was longer or had a series, but otherwise I'm sold on the author's writing. Cannot wait to read more from Rebecca.

Rating: 3.75 stars

I love Jaime who recommended me this book from the Tailored Book Recommendations; she understood that I wanted to read more non-fiction books about global politics. I've been following Russian politics for quite some time due to watching Russian sports like gymnastics and figure skating plus listening to Russian classical composers, such as Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.

I wondered for the longest time how Vladmir Putin was able to rise up through the ranks of the Russian government. It was interesting to hear that the previous Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was not looking as a solid leader to the general Russian public after the fall of the USSR, and Russia needed a new president. Lord and behold, Vladmir Putin, a KGB spy who managed to become Russia's next president since 1999.

The book was more captivating in the beginning but then became slightly flat towards the middle. I wish that the excitement and passion in the book was maintained strongly throughout. Otherwise, interesting topic and well-written biography.

I love how inspiring and well-written this memoir is. :) Glad I have the pleasure to read another well-done graphic memoir this year.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I love the writing style, especially when the words and letters were scattered all over the page to show the speech patterns and writings of the father. Also, I love how Pik-Jhuen showed how non-linear the grieving process is. However, I wished I learned the names of the characters and hear more about the grieving process when one of the family members passes away.

Hannah Fry explains the consequences of biased AI in everyday life ranging from medicine to autonomous vehicles and art. People need to consider if the users have explicitly consented to being part of datasets for these algorithms. Overall, refreshing read with a realistic call to action.

This book gives incredible examples of what the tech industry could do to retain more women and minorities in the tech sector along with creating more equitable and inclusive technology for everyone regardless of their background.

As someone who wanted to learn more about astrophysics, this was an incredible read because it's accessible and well-written. Love how beautiful Neil deGrasse Tyson placed me in the world of astrophysics, beauty, and math all in one book that's less than 300 pages.

I'm honored to read a memoir as compelling as this one. No words I say can suffice how beautiful the drawings were drawn nor could go at length on how well Art Spiegelman recalled his father's stories at the Holocaust and his strained relationship with his aging father. Kudos to Art Spiegelman for writing this memoir with dignity and integrity. I'm sure your father is proud of you for sharing this amazing memoir with others.

The characters are boring and bland. Though Molly has characteristics of autism, the author never explicitly stated that she is autistic or not. However, I wish that there was more canon representation of autism and that non-autistic people stop denying autism in people, especially if they're women.

This book is a creative twist on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and builds a fantasy world that I want to participate to if I had the chance. I love that this book is set during the Golden Era of Hollywood with shape shifting monsters. However, I wish there was more structure in the world building.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I loved Johann Hari's execution of the book and admire how he managed to live off the grid in the United States for three months. Depending on the level of privilege that someone has, they can try it as an experiment. I don't think that I would last more than two weeks without Internet so kudos to him. However, I wish that Hari would dispel the misinformation on ADHD instead of spreading it and go more extensively on the role of childhood trauma and lack of attention span. Also, ADHD is more than just hyperactivity; I wish there was more information about ADHD in terms of executive functioning, emotional regulation, and attention span.

Honestly, I enjoyed reading the book because some of the things Joan went through hits home for me. Like her, I also dealt with grief and thought I was okay for a while before it suddenly hit me. Granted that I didn't get paid time off since I was little, but point stands that grief is never a linear process. Also, I resonated with the Asian American immigrant experience.

Wang's writing has improved from her debut novel, Chemistry, and I'll be looking out for her novels in the future.

This book explained AI and technology in an accessible manner to all kinds of audiences ranging from the average Joe who mainly uses their computer for work & leisure to the AI researchers who are developing these technologies. I especially enjoyed reading about writing, “Hello, World!”, in three different ways which are equal to each other. However, I wish this book explored more of the ethical side of AI plus possible areas like algorithmic fairness, AI literacy, and scoped beyond the predominant narrative of AI in the Global North.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I learned more about surveillance capitalism than I previously have ever but I wish this book explained concepts within surveillance capitalism in a much more accessible way to general audiences. I personally understand it as I'm a technologist who is deeply interested in this due to censorship & surveillance from authoritarian governments, but I wish this book or another book broke down these concepts in a less jargon heavy manner.

Rating: 3.75 stars

It was an enjoyable book and I appreciated the authentic representation of one of the main characters who has dyslexia and the realities of growing up as twice exceptional. I especially loved seeing the growth of Sophie and Xavier throughout the second book. Wish there was slightly better pacing but overall an engaging read.

Rating: 3.75 stars

The third book in the series is a step up from the second one because there is better pacing and character development.

An underrated memoir that deserves more attention and hype. E.J. Koh managed to capture my attention all throughout the book in one go.

If you want to read a memorable memoir, I definitely recommend reading Tova's memoir about being one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz's concentration camps and taking refugee in the United States. I will never forget the deplorable reality of the Nazis eradicating those they deemed inferior to the Aryan master race, such as Jews, Roma, LGBTQ+ people, children, and disabled people. Tova, thanks for sharing your story for many years to come.

I was initially excited to learn how to read like a writer. However, I found that the lessons for non-fiction writing was somewhat limited. I personally like to create instruction guides, op-eds, and news articles. There weren't any exercises for people who write within these genres. I do think that mentioning a wide variety of genres is incredibly useful. This book is more suited towards writers who primarily write in fictional genres and poets. I think there is some use for non-fiction writers but I would caution reading this book and pick apart a book, article, or blog post that is better to read in your time.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the tone of this book. It felt patronizing even as a cisgender queer woman who is learning more about nonbinary people. They deserve better representation and should be looked at as people. Quite frankly, I would've learned more about nonbinary people through a YouTube video or two plus meet other nonbinary people.

I like how in-depth the book was in discussing about gay rights, more specifically how race, eugenics, and women were intertwined throughout history in multiple countries, like the United States, Germany, the Philippines, and Malaysia. I was pleased with looking at how women were affected by the gay rights movement, especially how lesbians were perceived by the general public along with gay men. I wish there was more content in the book, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned with this book.

Rating: 3.75 stars

I wish that this book was longer because I appreciated the inspiration of the music in Murakami work's like Norwegian Wood & 1Q84. I especially loved the pacing and how the book felt more like a conversation between Murakami and Ozawa, but I wish they went more in-depth about the classical music and other genres. Personally, I'm a musician who nerds out on classical music so I appreciate this book overall.

Rating: 3.25 stars

This book is a good start for those who aren't as familiar with the dangers and benefits of technology for teenagers. I've read a decent amount of books in this realm, so the ideas presented here aren't revolutionary or game-changing to me.

I thought it was neat to learn about the history of different shades of colors like black, brown, purple, green, and more. The essays were well-written and immediately grabbed my attention from the first page till the last page. As someone who is into data visualization, this information is incredibly useful in knowing what to convey data with colors as a valuable tool.