Dustin
3.5 ✨
“I don't want October to be over because
October means you.”
Pumpkinheads is October wrapped in caramel, kettle corn, and carnival lights. A story best read when the leaves start to crunch and the world smells like woodsmoke and magic. It doesn't just look like fall, it FEELS like it. Every page is sugared with candied apples, salted with succotash, sprinkled with warm spices, s'mores, and ‘pumpkin bombs'.
It's a little world where friendship feels as comforting as a hayride with hot apple cider sipped from mittened hands. Perfectly capturing that fleeting ache of Autumn. The sweetness and the sting of knowing the season (and high school) can't last forever. Pumpkinheads is cozy, funny, and a perfect little sweater-weather read for anyone who wishes the jack-o-lantern candles of autumn would never go out.
If fear is a monster, Nat Cassidy is the one who taught it how to speak. This was my introduction to his work and I already know that I would follow his words straight into the belly of the beast with a smile on my face if it meant feeling something this sharp and soul-deep again. I was not expecting to cry, but I did. Nat Cassidy the man that you ARE!!!
Y'all I hated this. The characters are insufferable and the writing is always doing the most. Narrated by someone who thinks metaphor is a competitive sport. Somehow both overwritten and underwritten at the same time. A rare combo. Tried so hard to be poetic it just ended up tripping over itself and face-planting into a thesaurus. Like, I get it. You're smarter than me. I tried, I really did. But by chapter 5 I was completely checked out. Just not for me.
3.5 ⭐️ I am Aster. Aster is me. Charlie is the ride or die bestie every anxious queer kid deserves. A love letter to anyone who has ever felt othered. So warm, so affirming. I wish I had this when I was younger but I'm thankful I have it now. Emotionally healing in ways my inner child never saw coming. Aster said “Ima be a witch anyway!” and I stood up and cheered from my couch. A gentle rebellion and a fierce little flame all in one. Just lovely!
Perfectly captures that quiet, long, unspooling, stretch of summer where time softens at the edges. Days of sunburnt shoulders, wet bathing suits, horror movie sleepovers, and that weird teenage brain soup purgatory where you start to understand just enough to ruin your peace. The aching shift in friendships and the weight of change. Nothing much happens yet everything happens. Beneath the softness, it explores internalized misogyny and the double standards of how easily girls are left to bear the fallout of choices made by two people. It tenderly delves into the ripple effects of loss, the kind that settles into the walls, into the hollow space between mother and daughter. It's a story of girlhood.
Silent. Wordless. But somehow louder than anything I've “read” in a while. Reading it while navigating brain fog and chronic illness made it hit even harder. There were no names to forget, no dense text to wrestle with. Just images that only asked me to feel. A beautiful allegory for immigration and what it means to leave everything you've ever known behind and start somewhere new. You don't need words to feel the disorientation of not knowing the language, the signs, the smells, the sounds etc. You can feel the pulsing of fear, hope, loneliness, resilience, and quiet bravery on every incandescent and achingly beautifully drawn panel. Capturing the emotionally resonant truth in a way that feels universal, deeply human, and more timely than ever. Heart-deep, visually stunning, with the perfect amount of weird.
James Baldwin testifies with fire and truth, igniting a fire in me that can never be extinguished. I only wish I bore witness to his testimony sooner. “The Fire Next Time” is a reckoning, a wound turned mirror, a sermon whispered with the weight and resilience of an entire lineage pressed into its margins. These are letters, yes, but also indictments. A prayer and a warning. It hums with the ache of centuries, burns with the knowing that history, left unchecked, will always find new ways to remake its horrors.
Reading Baldwin is like standing too close to the sun. The light is blinding, merciless, revelatory. Baldwin's language cuts through the flesh of illusion until all that remains is raw, unvarnished truth. He speaks of love, not as a remedy but as an act of war, as the only weapon powerful enough to dismantle the machinery of hatred. He tells his nephew what every Black child in America knows before they have the language for it: “the world was built to break you, but you must not let it.”
And yet, for all its rage, this book is not about despair. It is about clarity. Baldwin does not ask for comfort, does not soften the edges of reality to make them more palatable. He refuses the lie of gradual progress, the myth of white benevolence. He sees America for what it is, and in doing so, he dares it to become something better.
Sixty two years later and the fire has not died, if anything it's blazing brighter than ever. It still rages on, fed by the same systems, the same violence, the same refusal to look directly at the truth Baldwin laid bare. His prophecy remains. A searing pulse beneath the skin of a country that still refuses to listen.
Hope is not found in silence, nor in waiting, nor in the empty promises of a country built on the illusion of its own righteousness. It is found in those who refuse to be gaslit by buried history, the truths rewritten; or even erased, the lies passed off as progress, twisted narratives to keep power intact, myths weaponized to keep us blind. Hope is found in those who name white supremacy for what it is. A disease still coursing through the veins of this nation. It is found in those who love fiercely, who refuse to bow, who take Baldwin's words as a call to action. The fire still burns. Either we face the truth, strip the lies down to the bone, and build something worthy of generations who fought before us or let the fire consume us all. I pray we let it remake us instead.
IF YOU READ THIS BOOK YOU MUST GO INTO IT TOTALLY AND I MEAN TO-TA-LLY BLIND!!! For my audiobook girlies and even those that aren't I highly, HIGHLY recommend you use your Audible credit on this one. Trust. It's just over 2 hours and when I tell you the narrator COMMITS!! Some of the most beautiful, lyrical, and deliciously atmospheric writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading/hearing. (I'm a read-a-longer)
SPOILERS BELOW:
Okay besties can we have a little commotion for that TWISTTT!!! The scream I scrumpt when it finally clicked for me what was happening!!! Gooped and gagged. I NEED to talk to someone about this book!!!
The lure of the Titanic is as majestic, captivating, and legendary as the ship herself. The drama, heroism, the mystery, the romance, the lore, the fascinating and mysterious lives of those aboard, the opulence and grandeur, and most importantly the soul crushing horror of that fateful night. I cannot even remotely begin to imagine what those poor souls went through and the wasteland it left in the hearts of so many. I still remember learning about it as a little kid as if it were yesterday and it is undoubtedly a story for the ages and will always live with me.🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊Now onto my review-“ish” review:I have been struggling for quite some time with reading comprehension due to my battle with grief. As I was lying awake tonight, like all the countless nights before, I decided to look up a good middle-grade audiobook to hopefully lull me to sleep. To my surprise and absolute delight I found a read-along on YouTube of [b:I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 7285966 I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (I Survived, #1) Lauren Tarshis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360057919l/7285966.SX50.jpg 8528673] by the author, [a:Lauren Tarshis 260639 Lauren Tarshis https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. As she began to read, it was as if a warm hug slowly enveloped me and for the first time in far too long I was immediately transported. Just like I always used to be. Something I had been tirelessly fighting for and longing for was finally here. Reading has been much more than my escape, it has been my friend in times of need. So being able to discover that again was inexplicable. Lauren goes into the detailed history of Titanic and humanizes her characters in a way I don't think any other narrator could for me right now. I thoroughly enjoyed this harrowing tale of a brave young boy, his sister, Aunt, friendships made along the way, and even a mended one. Even though I am not the target audience anymore I was still perfectly enthralled. I've heard the story retold and re-imagined in innumerable ways but this one was really special and filled me with nostalgia. It is a quick historical fiction read that is well-written, told with child-like wonder and whimsy yet teaches life long lessons and honors the past. I cannot recommend it highly enough to younger readers, parents, and those who are just looking for a suspenseful, easy, fast paced enjoyable read like me or if you just need to hit that Goodreads reading challenge goal haha (no shame). I can't wait to continue with the rest of the series! At the moment, it is unquestionably something I desperately need and graciously accept. Thank you, Lauren for jumpstarting my love for reading again. 🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢
[b:Lovely War 44107480 Lovely War Julie Berry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554392694l/44107480.SX50.jpg 63030536] by [a:Julie Berry 1638953 Julie Berry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1508783648p2/1638953.jpg]This book is ALL the adjectives! It is narrated by Greek goddess of love Aphrodite, god of war, Ares, Hephaestus god of fire, god of the dead and the king of the underworld Hades, and Apollo god of the sun. According to multiple sources, Goodreads included, this masterpiece was “allegedly” written by a mere mortal by the name of Julie Berry, but are we really so sure that she's not a divine being herself to have written something this good?! It's as if it was written on some type of indestructible celestial material sewn with glistening thread unknown to man. Our story opens with clandestine lovers Aphrodite and Ares in human form at a luxury NYC hotel. Aphrodite's husband, Hephaestus, catches the lovebirds in the act and holds a trial against their infidelity in their hotel suite under duress. For Aphrodite's defense she offers to share a sweeping romance saga of two young couples Hazel and James and Colette and Aubrey during WWI. This was such a lush and swoon-worthy ode to life and love but also the dismal history of war and analysis of grief and racism. There were constant audible gasps and awwwww's and hand on chest moments from me throughout this dazzling reading experience. It was completely spellbinding. I so desperately wish I could go meet James, Hazel, Aubrey and Colette so I could tell them just how much they mean to me.I appreciate how Berry stands strong against the core concepts of war and the fundamentals of structural racism throughout the book and doesn't shy away from the truth. We are given a glimpse into the atrocious racial injustices against Aubrey who is a black man fighting in a war that is shepherded by white men. It is abysmally heart shattering that Aubrey is fearful that he will die in his country at the hands of racists before he can die FOR his country.This novel is so affecting, meaningful, important, devastatingly gorgeous and truly magical. I didn't want my journey to end with these characters. As Hazel said, “let the night never end let the music play on and on...” thats exactly how I felt. I purposefully read as slow as I possibly could so that I could let the words wash over me and seep into my bones. I felt that I owed all of my awareness and care to these truly special people's history and hearing The God's and Goddess tell this sweeping tale from their point of view and the storyline between the deities themselves was absolutely arresting. It was a lifetime intricately woven throughout 480 pages. The love shared between these soulmates was so pure and true and beautiful that it in even inspired the gods.Within these pages is a tale for the ages. Where love and art come together to paint a one of a kind tour de force, a sunrise splashing the most wondrous colors and beauties of life across the horizon.
not me reading this in one sitting hehe. it will never make sense how paying a mere $12.99 can get you an experience this fu*ing good! i love this series so much!! *sings...“ooh ahh yeah i wanna lick your lollipop, ooh ahh yeah i wanna lick your lollipop, sweet as sugar sweet as pie kiss the boys and make them cry but other boys don't taste as sweet, now that I've had you..boy you got the sweetest lips this girl has ever tasted, boy i need some sugar on me” iykyk bish this book was the “ish” ;) eww i hate myself
[b:Slouching Towards Bethlehem 424 Slouching Towards Bethlehem Joan Didion https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611927558l/424.SX50.jpg 1844] by [a:Joan Didion 238 Joan Didion https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1335450818p2/238.jpg]“I'm not telling you to make the world better, because I don't think that progress is necessarily part of the package. I'm just telling you to live in it. Not just endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances to make your own work and take pride in it. To seize the moment.”｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ Throughout my reading experience I often found myself pondering how in the world was I going to be able to review this book. I feel like there's nothing I can say about Joan Didion or Slouching Towards Bethlehem that hasn't already been said in a much more articulate manner than I ever could. Alas, here we are and here is my pitiful attempt at an analysis. Non-fiction is a somewhat new reading venture for me and I could not have picked a better jumping off point. A few passages into the first essay titled, “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream”, Didion had already lassoed my soul and only gripped tighter the further into her masterpiece I wandered. It felt like Joan took me on a time travel trip to the 1960's and it was as if she gifted me a state of the art VR headset in which to view her world through. Adorned in my headband, long, puffed sleeves, thrown up peace signs, frayed bell-bottomed jeans, sandals and all. As I devoured each masterfully crafted sentence it gave me a deep sense of nostalgia even though I wasn't born until many decades after this book's time setting. Didion's pragmatic writing style invokes all of your senses which makes you feel like you've somehow lived through the events of the book. It was as though I was her writer's apprentice. She recounts people and experiences with laser focus, clear, intriguing detail and description all with her richly unclassifiable voice. She evokes strong emotions from her readers weaving a beautifully shattered/non-linear narrative that is honest and independently brilliant. It appears to me that she lives in a state of peaked awareness due to the way she was able to fully encapsulate the ethos of the 1960's. Her essays are like small standalone rocks that with wind, rain and time, that her writing embodies, turn into beautiful mountains. This collection moved me infinitely. It is filled with glistening nuggets of knowledge that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡Slouching Towards Bethlehem, like life, is hard to completely illustrate. This body of work is undefinable and it can't just simply be labeled and put it in a box. I was reminded that life is so utterly beautiful, complex and at the same time can be very pessimistically dark. This book is a deep dive into 60's subculture, covering everything from John Wayne, Howard Hughes, growing up in California, morality, fate, dignity, the human condition, the seedy underbelly of the drug epidemic, racism/racial violence, homophobia, social crises, moral/social disintegration and other issues that we try to overlook but is always creeping like the boogeyman in the back of our minds. Didion brings the good along with the bubbling stench to the surface and challenges us to learn from history no matter how depressing so that we may not be doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past. It is a cautionary tale and touches on so many interesting and principal things. It enlightens and drives home the importance of self-respect, the significance of appreciating where you came from, finding a home in whoever and wherever that may be for you and the impossibility of utopia and so much more. Didion's writing captivated me beyond reprieve and I relished every page in absolute reverie. Yeah I gagged too asdfghjkl..｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡ ｡･ﾟﾟ･ ･ﾟﾟ･｡Joan Didion strikes me as an author who could just let her hand write forever like stories flow so freely from her soul that it is second nature. She has obviously put in tireless time and hard work into sharpening her craft and is so incredibly talented. To be honest I'm scared of her laughs nervously. She's THAT good and THAT staggeringly intelligent. Reading Joan Didion is an EXPERIENCE in every sense of the word. Her voice and style is so impeccably honed and molded that it's hard to even fully grasp after the first read through, at least for me and my pea brain hehe. It took time to marinate and entirely sink in. She is a perfectionist which she has admitted herself in interviews and it comes through in her writing but not annoyingly or pretentiously so. She is a verifiable visionary and has ultimately become one of my favorite authors of all time.
𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔜𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 𝔚𝔞𝔩𝔩-𝔓𝔞𝔭𝔢𝔯✁❧✎✁❧✎✁❧✎✁❧✎✁[b:The Yellow Wall-Paper 286957 The Yellow Wall-Paper Charlotte Perkins Gilman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351778524l/286957.SX50.jpg 17352354] by [a:Charlotte Perkins Gilman 29527 Charlotte Perkins Gilman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1238281005p2/29527.jpg] should be viewed as a quintessential feminist piece of literature due to its early depictions, societal views and stigmas toward women's mental health in the 19th century. In this unforgettably powerful and sad story our narrator, a paradoxical woman, gives a first hand look into her daily life living with mental illness. This is definitely one of those books that takes time to dissect, evaluate and discuss. The writing was incredibly captivating and I sympathized and cared so deeply for the main character. The story opens with our unnamed protagonist journaling her experience living with her husband, John, their baby and sister-in-law in a grand estate for the summer. She shares her thoughts on the creepy, haunted and melancholic-like place which leads her to speak about why they are there in the first place, a rest cure getaway for her “nervous depression”. She is surrounded by oppressive and disingenuous people who avoid acknowledging the scope of her situation. John, a doctor says her illness is “self created” or “all in her head”. He is patronizing, stifling and controlling. He has gaslit her into a sedentary lifestyle locked away in what she describes as a nursery room. He cruelly forbids her from partaking in her passion for writing. However, cleverly, she has been able to continue journaling in secret which is how we read our story. I found the nursery imagery to be allegorical to how her husband treats her as an infantile, a helpless child rather than the strong, capable and brilliant woman that she is. She spends her days in the nursery room to “rest”. Her only entertainment is to stare at the “yellow wallpaper”. Over time, she starts seeing unsettling and nightmarish shapes and images in the design. She begs John to have the wallpaper removed but he refuses and ultimately causes her descent to only worsen. In turn, she becomes obsessed with the patterns that in time drive her to disassociate from reality and slip into a fantasy world which is symbolic to her circumstances. She begins to believe that she sees things creeping in the wallpaper. She convinces herself that a woman is trapped inside and makes it her duty to set her free.She eventually breaks and begins to destroy the wallpaper at night to free the captive woman. By the end of her rampage the paper is strewn about the room. She is certain that there were multiple women trapped and they are “creeping” all around her. Her husband walks into the room and sees the true horror of the scene. Stunned and finally realizing her desperation, the ignored warning signs and the reality of her condition all he can muster is, “For God's sake, what are you doing?” She replies, “I've got out at last...in spite of you and Jane.” John faints and his wife states, I will have to “creep over him every time!” Just like the women in her delusions.This was such a heart wrenching and chilling read but a very important one. I just wanted to give the nameless woman a hug and make sure she got the care she deserved. I related to the despondency that the narrative evoked especially after enduring my debilitating journey of grief and my heart and soul goes out to anyone struggling with their mental health in any capacity. If you are reading this review and you are grappling with a mental disorder just know that you are not alone and there is help out there and people that truly care. I care. You are valid. You matter and you are worthy of all the love in the world.Remember to be kind to people, check in and be a good supportive friend. Make someone smile today.
ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬Ωㄒ卄乇 丂乇匚尺乇ㄒ 卄丨丂ㄒㄖ尺ㄚ 乃ㄚ ᗪㄖ几几卂 ㄒ卂尺ㄒㄒ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩDisclaimer: I am recovering from the flu and I just want to sincerely apologize for this chaotic review. 😂“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.” It is difficult to believe that Henry's modest plan could have worked so well despite these unforeseen events. We hadn't intended to hide the body where it couldn't be found. In fact, we hadn't hidden it at all but had simply left it where it fell...”In the prologue we learn that the story's centralized characters have committed a murder. To all appearances the victim was someone close to them. With inspiration taken from Homer's “Iliad”, [a:Donna Tartt 8719 Donna Tartt https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1695551006p2/8719.jpg] expertly weaves a gripping narrative on the very first page leaving us to contemplate the why rather than the who or even the how. In other words, instead of a whodunnit we are gifted a whydunnit. I began this novel thinking it was exactly what my little dark academic heart was pining for, my current aesthetic obsession bound in paperback dreams but it ended up being more than I bargained for.ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩChapter one opens with the voice and first person perspective of the narrator, John “Richard” Papen. He is our gateway into this dark and entangling world of the academic high-class. Richard is a particularly intellectual, insightful and deeply complicated 19 year old just longing to belong. He is soon accepted into the elite Hampden College in Vermont and subsequently recounts a single academic year in chronological detail of events leading up to the murder. While there he learns of a fascinating and enigmatic professor named Julian Morrow. Mr. Morrow teaches Ancient Greek to a class of only five undergraduates who are highly vetted and exceptionally bright. They clash against their peers, stand out amongst the humdrum crowd with their scholar chicness and are held in fearful esteem by their fellow students. The group has formed a peculiar bond with one another because of their shared cruel intellectual coolness. Richard is swept up in their spell of high brow tastes and fascinated by their allure. Richard comes from a middle class family and wants to be like the cool kids which leads him to mimic and obsess over becoming friends with the motley crew. He succeeds and is brought into the fold which leads him to begin the soon to be all encompassing journey through everything from innocent Ancient Greek history and linguistics to murderous bacchanal rituals with Julian and the gang. ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩIntroductions:Henry Winter: Ringleader. Tall, dark, handsome, rich, impenetrable, cold and calculatedFrancis Abernathy: Wears old-timey spectacles, elegant and angular, gay and impossibly stylishCharles & Camilla Macaulay: Enigmatic twins with a sick and disturbing relationship that I won't get into here. You can use your imagination if you must.Bunny Corcoran: The victim, a loud, racist, sexist, homophobic bigot With this colorful cast of characters and that shocking opener you can see we are headed for a tragic, twisty and enthralling ride.ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩAfter months of Greek obsession, Henry persuades Francis and the twins to sneak out to Francis's family home in the countryside to revel in Bacchanalian rituals. They decide that Richard is too new to partake and Bunny is too flippant and careless. To do the ancient rite successfully, the teens need to reach a state of altered consciousness which they practice until one crazy night they are triumphant. While in this dysfunctional frame of mind they end up committing their first murder. Their helpless victim is an innocent farmer. The team comes to their senses from their revelry to find the farmers blood all over their naked bodies. They soon realize that they had a night of debauchery that was filled with unspeakable happenings that I'm sure, with your imagination, you can fill in the gaps...reading it once was more than enough for me thanks. The murder soon hits news outlets and the suspects launch into neurotic panic. Bunny begins to taunt and question his friends' involvement. Henry begins to unravel under the constant berating and convinces Richard, Francis, Camilla and Charles that Bunny must be dealt with. Because of Bunny's continued probing and loud mouth persona it leads the clique to ultimately embark on a mission to kill him. We know from the beginning how the murder was committed so the rest of the novel is watching the party's paranoia over the possibility of being caught, the insane lengths they'll go to; to not be held responsible for their crimes, the mistakes they make along the way and the mental derailing from their guilt and culpability but not necessarily remorse for not only one murder but two. The cast deal with their sins individually. Richard represents or embodies naivety and the loss of innocence and grapples with his choices, Charles falls into hopeless alcoholism and in a drunken rage threatens to shoot Henry for his indoctrination but coincidentally shoots Richard instead (he survives his injury), Francis develops a crippling anxiety disorder while also dealing with his sexuality and is essentially forced to marry a woman to appease his grandfather or he will lose his fortune, Henry kills himself (a final tribute to Julian whom the clan worshipped and put on an unnaturally high pedestal, especially Henry) and Camilla is left grief-stricken after the death of her lover Henry and from the abuse perpetrated by her twin brother and eventually moves away a broken version of her former self. In the end the group unravel and melt away into their own separate conscience-stricken lives. ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩTartt expertly crafted that perfect “edge of your seat” type of suspense, a veracious page turner in every way. In spite of the fact that we already know who dies and who did it on the very first page is ingenuous to me. It could just be the writer in me. I just love crafting stories and Donna Tartt did something here that I so desperately wish I could do without all the morbid depravity of course haha. The bated breath kind of waiting for it all to unfurl and the journey of how it culminates to an explosive peak was so bombastically fulfilling. The imagery/aesthetics are so well constructed and gratifying. The philosophical conversations were interesting and mind tingling. She conveys dialogue so beautifully. She made me genuinely care about things that I wouldn't normally in my day to day life, i.e. Ancient Greek History and so much more. I feel like it has re-ignited my love for the pursuit of knowledge.The elucidation is like an immediate magnetic force pulling you into the ether of an anthemic psychological cryptogram. Every scene had its place and reason. I just enjoyed the ride! I think what Donna Tartt was able to create here is a masterpiece for what it is. Being able to get inside the heads of truly complicated characters and watching a very unique journey of obsession, strange deranged fixations, high brow culture and apex evil. A story of mental illness and guilt thwarting mayhem. You have to give it to Tartt, she almost makes you sympathize with murderers and somewhat tries to convince you that Bunny was a terrible person who deserved to die through the characters reasoning but obviously that's disgusting..no one deserves to die but she paints Bunny to be so insufferable and evil that it makes you question. It's a twisted dark moral dilemma. I kept asking myself “Why do I even care or want to read from these monstrous pretentious horrible people who become evil for the aesthetic?! She really makes you ponder was it Henry's fault? Was it one of the others? All of them? Or is Julian the true malefactor for leading young impressionable coeds down a destructive path by romanticizing a bygone culture's practices such as bacchanal sacrificial rituals?! They don't remember the sadistic act that led to their first vile doing because they were high/drunk out of their minds, so was it intentional? Are they fully accountable? I thought I had so many quandaries toward the end but then I remembered that they turned around and carried out a cold blooded murder of an innocent friend and even went to their dead “friends” funeral and stayed at their victims parents house pretending to grieve so, yes they deserved to be locked up forever.ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩThere is such an incredible amount of depth to these “fatally flawed” personas and they are highly distinguishable from one another with each having their own unique imperfections.ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ˆ ∆´ ∑ ¬Ω˚ ˆ ∆´ ∑¬ΩTo summarize, the narrative is tightly woven and the story telling is downright irresistible. The writing style is stylistic, sophisticated, intellectually benevolent and cerebral. I am convinced that Donna Tartt is a word/language sorceress! Her descriptions are unmatched in photographic detail. This book is a character study and investigation into the human condition/psyche. The Secret History definitely stands up against other novels in the genre and Tartt did something really special here. I am exhausted and I just want to go wash this book off of me haha and I mean that in the nicest way possible.
Katie has done it again!
I just adore the writing and art style oh so much, as always! This was the cutest little story centering around the cutest little pink axolotl you ever did see! Dewdrop, the axolotl, and his friends are preparing for the sports fair that comes around once each year. Dewdrop's friends are struggling with self confidence and belief in their abilities to succeed in their respective categories. However, fear not dear friends because it's Dewdrop to the rescue! Dewdrop more or less quietly reminds his pals that they can do anything they set their minds to and encourages them to unburden themselves of the undue pressures they have placed upon themselves. With Dewdrop's guidance, his fellow animal companions are able to conquer their fears and doubts all while having fun and are ultimately able to find self-satisfaction and victory. Do what you love because you love it not because you need to be the best at it was a takeaway for me.
I only wish the book was longer but it is a children's book so I accept and appreciate “Dewdrop” for what it is which is absolutely precious.
P.S. Now I want a pet axolotl!
I may or may not have audibly squeed.
I am so happy I decided to pick up this little gem! It whisked me away on a fluffy pastel cloud. The writing style is super cozy. The aesthetic art style and cottagecore vibe feels like drinking a calming cup of tea as you watch the vibrant leaves of autumn float to the ground at golden hour. For such a quick read, the diversity is top notch! Complex characters with varying skin tones, LGBTQ+ rep, disability rep, mental health rep and of course ridiculously cute dragons!
We start our journey in a magical world with our main character, Greta. She is a mystical and charming little girl with her plaits, horns, brown skin, youthful enthusiasm and all. She is the daughter of a blacksmith who is teaching her the art of blacksmithing. The craft has been losing its steam over the years and Greta's Mom wants to instill in her the technique and vitalness of the work.
After a day of lessons, Greta stumbles upon a smol distressed dragon that is being antagonized by two wolves. She realizes that the wolves are just hungry and decides to throw them food to deter them. She is successful and is able to come to the rescue. To her dismay, she finds that the little dragon has been injured and goes back home to patch her up. She comes to learn from her father that the animal belongs to Hesekiel, an enigmatic, wise and kindhearted llama-like creature who runs a tea shop outside of town. Under her father's guidance, our young apprentice seeks out the mysterious Hesekiel to return his lost companion.
Upon meeting, Hesekiel informs Greta that his pet is actually a Tea Dragon and he and his Husband, Erik are the last remaining members of the Tea Dragon Society. Greta, immediately fascinated, is eager to learn more. Hesekiel introduces Greta to Erik who will be able to educate her further. After niceties, Erik begins training Greta in the care of Tea Dragons. Greta learns that the Dragons produce tea leaves from their antlers and in turn create a rare, delicious and metaphysical tea. Tea Dragon lore is discussed throughout the book including the types of tea leaves each dragon grows and the magical abilities that the dragons and their precious tea hold.
Greta also meets a sweet shy young ward of Hesekiel and Erik's tea shop named Minnette. Minnette, lost and nowhere to go, took refuge with the kind duo. After some time Greta is able to ease Minnette out of her shell and they become fast friends. Minnette shares with Greta that she was training to be a prophetess and was gifted with clairvoyance. She states that she was pressured to use her powerful abilities until she reached a breaking point and fled home. Due to her traumatic experience, Minnette has lost most of her memories and fears she won't be able to make new ones. Greta ensures her with one of my favorite lines from the novel, “Memories don't just live inside you, Minette. They live in all the people and objects you share your life with.”
With Greta, Hesekiel and Erik's support they may be able to help Minnette cope or even regain her memories and create lasting and meaningful ones in the process. This story is about making and cherishing memories, the value of friendship, the deep bond of pet and owner, and the foundation of love.
Review by Dustin
Twitter:
@swiftiebaddie13
Instagram:
@pinkpistachioh
5 SWEET TEACUPS!!! ☕️ ☕️ ☕️ ☕️ ☕️
I was so happy to be back in this comfy world again. This book was like coming home. I was delighted to see familiar faces and happy to meet the new various characters being introduced into the storyline. The Tea Dragon Festival includes a non-binary lead, a genderfluid supporting character and other diverse characters. There is also disability rep displayed by a character who is hearing impaired. The sign language was represented and handled so beautifully, educationally and respectfully.
An informative ASL guide and other related resources are featured at the end of the book as well! This heart-warming graphic novel is filled with inclusion and is such a welcome and much needed addition to bookshelves. You can tell the art was drawn with love and the story reads like a warm hug feels.
This fable is what I consider to be a sort of prequel to The Tea Dragon Society. In this endearing venture we are back with the beloved bounty hunting couple (pre-retirement), Hesekiel and Erik. We however mostly follow the newly introduced charming, lovable and non-binary character, Rinn. Rinn is the nibling of Erik and unlike Greta, from The Tea Dragon Society, they have grown up with Tea Dragons and have mastered their care.
Rinn shares their home with their Grandmother and their little sister, in a picturesque mountain village surrounded by a cast of colorful neighbors and yes of course, adorable tea dragons too. One day, Rinn and their little tea dragon companion go out hunting for mushrooms and other ingredients for them and their friends. As they head through the woods gathering, the trail becomes too difficult to traverse so they decide to cut out a path. They then, stumble upon an abandoned house. They decide to explore it further and to their shock they find a REAL great golden dragon.
Rinn is hesitant because of the dragons behemoth size compared to them and their small friend. Rinn's tea dragon unexpectedly makes a loud thump and wakes the giant dragon. Startled, Rinn and their buddy attempt to flee but the dragon gently grasps Rinn's arm pulling them back. When Rinn turns to look at the dragon, they have transformed into a humanoid dragon hybrid.
The creature introduces themselves as Aedhan. Aedhan shares that they are able to shapeshift into either gender and Rinn expresses their yearning to be able to do the same. Aedhan asks Rinn if they are there to take them to the Barley Festival. The only problem is that the Barley Festival took place 80 years ago.
Which leads to the realization that Aedhan had been in a deep 80 year long slumber. Aedhan explains that they were assigned the role of Village protector but fell asleep in the woods. It is a mystery as to why Aedhan slept for so long. Aedhan is stricken by the loss of time and the journey is Rinn helping them find acceptance.
Rinn takes Aedhan to meet their uncle, Erik and partner Hesekiel. After hearing Aedhan's story Erik and Hesekiel decide to attempt solving the mystery and hope to find the culprit that caused Aedhan's extra long nap. In the meantime, Rinn invites Aedhan to The Festival of Tea Dragons. The two begin preparations for the event.
They meet the various family, friends and villagers. One of whom is Rinn's hearing impaired friend, Lesa, for who the citizens of their mountain home learned ASL for after being born (cries). Throughout this charming tale we get to tag along with Rinn, Aedhan, and the rest of the cast's journey of friendship. Ultimately, this story has a great sense of community. It delves into the meaning of true friendship, the vitalness of finding acceptance within yourself, the worth of surrounding yourself with those who embrace you for who you are, the significance of knowing what's important to you and discovering the value of happiness and purpose.
Review by Dustin
Twitter: @swiftiebaddie13
Instagram: @pinkpistachioh