H

I’ve read The Martian by this author 10+ years ago and when I saw they made a movie adaptation for this one, I decided to read it. There was no digital audiobook available through my libraries, so I waited for the physical audiobook CDs, to which I only listened to in my car while driving. So it took me a while to finish but I did it. Narrator was good and I liked the special sounds effects, especially with Rocky. Dunno if I would’ve read a physical or digital version of this.

This has an interesting premise but honestly it was a lot to keep up with, science-wise. I’m sure I tuned out some bits but I got the overall gist. I thought Rocky was adorable and it was fun to listen to the interactions between him and Ryland. I’m curious to see how the movie compares and how much is similar or different.

I've been meaning to read this book for a while. I bought the hardback last year but gifted it to my cousin before reading it. I found the ebook on hoopla so knew I'd be able to read it another time. Recently, I came across audiobook on hoopla and was so excited. I listened to it in two days since it's pretty short and it was a great way to take in the words of the late Dr. Refaat Alareer, may he rest in peace. I was happy to see the narrator is a Palestinian woman, but I would have liked her to pronounce some of the Arabic words and names more accurately. I finished reading the ebook as I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything from listening, but it's harder for me to comprehend from text than it is from audio.

This collection of short essays, poems, and interviews gave important insight into what it's like to grow up and live in Gaza, and the framing of how many wars each person has lived through to denote their age (ex: Amal is 4 wars old). It's heartbreaking to hear how people have lost so many loved ones, their homes, schools, livelihoods. Every single person in Gaza is affected by the siege and bombardment of their homeland and the fact that we are currently witnessing a 2.5+ year old "war" is very tough. It would be easier in a sense if Palestine was free and this was a historical overview of these brutal massacres, but the fact that the zionist entity is continuing to murder Palestinians every day makes it a difficult read/listen.

Some of the text is repetitive because of the various sources, but it does a good job of emphasizing the details of these stories. I liked how Refaat noted the importance of storytelling and how it keeps us alive. Palestinians in Gaza do not need to be given a voice, they already have one and it just needs to be widely shared. I appreciated the mix of essays and poems, as well as transcripts from interviews done in the last months of his life. I particularly liked the essays about his brother and his cousin and how they were both senselessly killed while trying to help others. His reflection on the 2018 Great March of Return was enlightening as well. From that chapter "Every Palestinian Was a Target": "If Palestinians shoot rockets, fire rockets, or carry guns, Israel will destroy them and will criminalize and demonize them. If Palestinians carry stones and Molotov cocktails, if Palestinians fly kites, if Palestinians breathe, Israel will hate them. And Israel will want them to be submitting and abjectly kneeling." I was honored to listen to and read his words and it reminded me how sad I am that he is no longer with us and cannot provide current feedback on world events, or share his knowledge and talent. However, books like this bring our martyrs to life and it keeps them alive as we continue this material life without them.

From his poem "O'live Tree":

My twigs shall grow,

The oil shall flow,

My people shall glow,

And you, you will go.

Someone recommended this book on Twitter so I got the audiobook from hoopla. It was a quick listen with solid narration and I thought it was interesting. I’ve personally not owned a gun or used one, but I can definitely see the case for it, especially when most non-violent means do not achieve much. I appreciated how folks worked together despite these differences and were firm in their ways. The kkk kept pissing me off but it was satisfying to see the cowards retreat when faced with armed opposition. Black folk were not presented with many options to defend themselves and guns were seen as generally acceptable, even by white supremacists. I hope there is a resurgence of this movement in modern society as it is much needed due to the violence committed upon people by the state and government and other bad actors. This is the only language the oppressors will listen to so we might as well use it.

I finished watching season one of this show, and decided to get the audiobook from my library. They had a narrator for Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), Agnes (Bryce Dalls Howard) and Daisy (Mae Whitman), which helped differentiate their POVs. The author herself narrated the chapter names. I liked the series and was curious how different it is from the book. There’s a few key differences, like how Becca and Agnes became aunts instead of getting married, Daisy being Nicole, and the two sisters escaping from Gilead. It was cool to see what happened after The Handmaid’s Tale and the epilogue into the future was interesting but honestly not very realistic. I doubt we will learn from past mistakes and rebuild society; it just feels like we’re headed towards complete destruction.

Finished the audiobook and started reading the ebook, but didn’t feel like finishing it. Picked up this book because there is a tv adaptation for it.

The narrator pronounced a few words wrong so that threw me off. Ex: rifled. I had a feeling this book would be similar to TSITP and it was in some ways. I was really hoping there wouldn’t be a love triangle between the brothers but alas there was one revealed towards the end. The relationship between Percy and Sam was okay, I didn’t like Percy much and kept mistaking her for a male character due to her nickname. And for her to befriend her bully Delilah was strange, and to not apologize to her for so many years?? The miscommunication that led to the main characters not talking for 12 years was not worth it, especially when the mmc knew about it and wouldn’t return any emails.

There’s a sequel with Charlie’s story but not sure if I’ll pick that one up, might leave the Barry’s Bay universe behind.

I don’t think I’ve read a book that has a single dad trope, or if I have it wasn’t a major plot point, which is why I was intrigued by this book. I’m not into comics so that aspect was boring to me. Sam’s mom was pretty awful and I didn’t care for their dynamic. Hal was annoying to read about too. The romance was okay but there could’ve been more chemistry. Overall not my cup of tea.

This was an entertaining audiobook. The narrators did a good job and I liked the few sound effects scattered throughout. I thought it was neat that the podcast episodes were interspersed with the main story. The grandma was my favorite character and her misandry was refreshing, badass woman. The rest of Lucy’s family and acquaintances sucked and were not supportive at all, no wonder she left town. Lots of cheaters too, no one seemed too surprised about it all either.

I enjoy mysteries and like to guess who the murderer/suspect is, but this one has me guessing throughout the whole book. I cried when Lucy’s memory of that fateful night came back to her as it demonstrated the strong friendship between her and Savvy; willing to protect each other no matter what. It was emotional! Maybe not the most realistic reveal, but it did the job.

Overall this was an enthralling book and I’m interested in more from this author.

David Archuleta, the man that you are! I was so excited to get this audiobook from my library after waiting 6 weeks. He narrates it himself and his voice is comforting to listen to. I’ve enjoyed his songs, followed him on TikTok a while back, and have enjoyed seeing his personal growth in coming out and being true to himself.

David delves into his childhood, growing up in a Mormon family, becoming a singer, and being discovered for his talent on various shows. I felt very nurturing listening to his story because I just wanted to protect him from his father and everyone else who took advantage of him. It was frustrating to hear his struggles and to know how much he experienced. It was interesting to see his various relationships evolve and how he tried so hard to stay in the church, despite not finding support for LGBTQ believers.

Overall, this was a tough listen but David did a great job sharing his story with the world, and I’m proud he did it (thanks for the push, Jeanette McCurdy). The three new songs at the end were a nice touch and they had good messaging that were inspired by his journey.

DNF @ 91 minutes into the audiobook because of a mention of the evil entity of "isr*el" and the IOF for a side character. So unnecessary and frankly offensive, especially during a 2+ year genocide. Shame.

This was pretty good! I learned about it from Twitter: someone was asking about Lalaine, who played Miranda on the show Lizzie McGuire, and the comments were talking about how she and Hilary Duff didn't get along, so she was forced off of the show. This book had that info, so I got the audiobook from hoopla. Turns out: Lalaine narrates it, which is pretty neat, and it made me wonder if she found it difficult to narrate about herself and her time on the show.

Written by a journalist, this covers the Disney Channel's programming and their success with shows and movies like Even Stevens, That's So Raven, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, High School Musical, and stars like Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers. I was a fan of these growing up so there was a nostalgic appeal to learning more about them. I particularly enjoyed the juicy stuff and wish there was more of it, but this book was more about the logistics of the work being created.

I found this book at my college library and was interested in reading it because it has characters from Saudi Arabia. The plot was okay, not my favorite, but I didn’t like the writing style nor the time jumps, it made things confusing.