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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.

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.

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.

I got this audiobook from hoopla and was excited for a celebrity memoir. I remember watching the tv show Moesha and listening to songs by Brandy. I didn’t know her last name was Norwood, so I learned that early on.

This was an in-depth look at the artist’s life, beginning with her childhood and singing in her church. I really felt for her as she experienced teasing and bullying and more insidious abuse from her partners as a teen and young adult. I admired her for her strength and confidence and was glad to know she has a supportive family. She struggled a lot in her life but got through it with their help.

There were a few jump scares with scenes involving Zio Mayim, sex predator Robin, and MJ later on. Brandy got to work with many different people in the industry, including her idol Whitney Houston. This book was written well and I enjoyed it from the beginning.

I found this book while browsing hoopla and the premise intrigued me. It was also billed as the Haunting of Hill House meets Nina LaCour, both of which I am a fan of. I like YA novels and this is about two Arab girls on a spring break road trip visiting colleges. They get into an accident and have to stay in a small town while their car is being repaired. The motel they check into has one room left: 9, and bad things have happened in it.

What I liked: great narration; one for Mira, one for Layla, and one for the unnamed spirit. I also liked the representation of Arab girls with a queer inclusion. The cast of supporting characters were fine, nothing special. The researching in the library was interesting to me as was the mystery needing to be solved. However, I didn’t like how the mystery played out and it was never really solved, which was unsatisfying. I understand how the spirit fed off people’s guilt, but I still didn’t get where it came from or where it may go next. Wish that part was resolved.

Overall, I appreciated the diverse representation and the lack of cops in this book dealing with mysteries.

I got this audiobook from Libby because I like one of the narrators. The premise sounded interesting too, didn’t realize it’s an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel.

This story centers around Funke, who is half Nigerian and half English, and a tragedy that occurs when she is 9. She is sent to live with her maternal aunt and her two children, and experiences culture shock as well as blatant racism and malice. I felt for Funke aka Kate as she struggled to adapt but with time, she found her way. Liv, her cousin, forged a bonding relationship to her and they were close, until the night of Funke’s 18th birthday. A series of events causes our main character to be back in Nigeria and adapting to a new/old environment.

I was mad at Liv and her family for what they did and was looking forward to seeing how the story would play out. It tied up very nicely and overall I liked this book.

I love this author and was excited she had a new book. I got the audiobook from hoopla and the narrator did an excellent job with the different characters and accents. I like that the main character in this story is an aunty who recently became a widow and goes back to Toronto to help her daughter, who is accused of murder.

There were a lot of characters so it was hard to keep track of everyone, but I did appreciate the diverse cast and the inclusion of Islamic concepts. The characters were written well and I liked seeing them interact. It was interesting to try and solve the mystery as the story went along, and there were a few redirections, but in the end the turns straightened out and most of the questions were answered. I enjoy mystery novels but don’t like the inclusion of cops, so I can’t rate any of them 5 stars out of principle. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Excellent collection of stories from Palestinians who are connected to Gaza. The two narrators did a good job, some of the Arabic words were not pronounced 100% correctly but overall I appreciate getting narrators who know the language. The topics ranged from agriculture, AI, architecture, and included many personal stories of surviving bombardments. It made me sad hearing Dr Refaat Alareer’s story as he was assassinated on December 6, 2023. It was also difficult to listen to his good friend Yousef Aljamal’s entry years before this tragedy. I do wonder how the authors are and how many of them are still alive, death to “israel” soon inshaAllah. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear about a family member in Shahd Abusalama’s piece and my college town mentioned in Mosab Abu Toha’s story; the world is a small place.

I really enjoyed this book and am glad I finally got to consume it, even better in audio form. I’ll probably read it again since I have the ebook.

I've been on a memoir kick lately, and I finished the recent season of SLOMW within the last few months. So when I saw that Mayci's book is out, I knew I had to get the audiobook from my library. I was on hold for a few months and once it was ready, I listened to it in one day (7 hours at 1.6x speed). It's not fair to judge memoirs based on content, but style is another thing. It was not written well and it did feel choppy - too long of a pause in between chapters. It does read like a journal, which she did say she used to help remember events, but it didn't make for a deep read. There were a few things that didn't make sense, some things that I wish would've been talked about more, and I had some difficulty keeping the timeline straight. I liked Mayci on the show and was interested in learning more about her life, which I did. But she does come off as privileged and very much "woe is me". I didn't realize that IVF was used not just for couple struggling with the fertilization process, but for those with genetic concerns. It kinda gives eugenics vibes though? I had hoped there would be more about her time on the show and her relationships with the other women (only a little at the end). Overall, a very quick listen and I like when authors narrate their own books - even if they're not the best narrators - because I think it makes for a more authentic experience.

I found this audiobook on hoopla and had to listen to it. I love Palestinian fiction stories, especially those that weave together multiple generations of families. This particular book focuses on three of them: Baladi, Ammar, and Salameh. I appreciated how the author connected the characters to each other and my only gripe is that the book is too short. I wanted more from the characters. Another thing I didn’t care for is the inclusion of a cop, I never want to read about them. Otherwise, this was a great debut novel and I look forward to more from this author.

The only reason I got this is because it was just released as a tv series. I got the audiobook from hoopla and Elle Fanning, the star of the show, narrates it. An interesting concept and she did a fine job. The premise of this book didn’t really interest me but I like reading/listening to books before watching their screen adaptation. I didn’t like the mention near the end of the characters eating Mediterranean food and getting violently sick. What was the point of that? Felt racist, honestly. I didn’t feel like the author addressed the seriousness of Margo having a relationship with her professor, even though they’re both adults. There is still an unfair power dynamic there and it was just yucky. Also Margo’s mom was awful as was Kenny. I had hoped more from Jinx but I understand portraying addiction in a realistic manner. Overall, just an okay book for me.

I’ve been consuming YA lately and I remember why I like them. I’ve had this book on my list for a bit and got the audiobook from the library. The narration was good and I liked following Simone and her journey. I did feel like she overreacted in some parts but she was going through a lot. Overall this was educational and a worthwhile listen.

Found this book in my college library and it intrigued me, so I read it during one shift. Short and a quick read due to the style of writing. I personally liked the family sections more than the ones about her relationship, but I felt like there were discrepancies in how she described her parents. I was trying to get a sense of her relationships with them but couldn’t quite understand.

I just finished a multigenerational book, and I happened to pick this one out next. Must be a common theme lately. I’ve read this author's debut novel and didn’t love it, but this one has good reviews so I decided to listen to the audiobook from hoopla.

There are three main character: son, father, and grandfather. Each of them has their own narrator, which helped distinguish the POVs. Narration was excellent overall. The story itself was intriguing: family drama, relationships, sexuality, politics. However, it didn’t feel real to me. Shane was an insufferable, try too hard character that annoyed me with every appearance. Some of the other side characters were cool, like cousin Ava and Zip Lamb.

What I didn’t like was the demonization of the ayatollah and the Islamic republic. Sure, the author is Iranian and is clearly sharing his personal views in this book, but I don’t appreciate the propaganda. Especially with current world events and the rampant Islamophobia that prevails in society. Okay, every ruler has their faults and no one is perfect, but I didn’t like this angle and it really turned me off. Probably won’t read more from this author.

I listened to this audiobook because I really like one of the narrators (she did Honey & Spice and Sweet Heat). I like the premise of this book: a curse that affects the subsequent generations of women in the Falodun family - allowing no men to truly love them and stay with them. Initially, this was a bit tough to get into because of all the names and everything going on, but once it settled into the two main POVs and timelines, it was easier to keep track of the characters and storylines. This was such an interesting listen (with excellent narration) and I could relate to the relationships the women had with each other, especially the mother-daughter dynamic. I liked seeing the parallels between Monife and Eniiyi and how similar yet different they were. Overall a wonderful multigenerational story of women, love, sisterhood, and finding oneself.

I love memoirs, especially when the author narrates the audiobook version, so I was excited to get my hands on this from my library. I remember Alyson Stoner from the Missy Elliot video, as most people do, as well as some Disney shows and movies. Being a child star is tough and I was anticipating learning about what they went through growing up. It’s fascinating to learn about someone’s life and to have access to so much - it really fills my curiosity. It’s hard to rate memoirs since it feels like I’m rating someone’s life, rather than the presentation and writing of it. This was an interesting listen and had some difficult parts to hear about, but this book was written well, narrated excellently (forgot they were a voice actor) and kept my interest. It was nice to see Alyson evolve and find their true purpose and identity in life, and I wish them much success in their personal and professional life.

I love this author and I was interested in this collection of short stories. Although I am not a romantic at heart, these love stories were based of myths from various countries and I appreciated the non-white focus of characters. Some of the stories stuck with me more than others but overall it was an enjoyable listen with good narration. The author and her mom narrate the last one as it is the story of how her parents met, cute.

Okay Alice Feeney, I see you. This is my third book from her and I wasn’t too impressed with the first two. They say 3rd times the charm, so guess it worked. I wasn’t sure where this was going with the main “twist” but the subsequent discoveries and connections kept me interested. I liked the parallel similarities between the characters (parenting young girls, the house, work, etc). The ending was interesting, had a feeling there was more to the story and that was it. Overall a solid story. I listened to this audiobook and the narration was great, plus it helped keep the multiple POVs distinct because of the two narrators.