Lisa

I never read this as a child as it seemed way too “girly” for me. It's a wonderful story all the same and I wished I'd read it then.

I can't sum up my feelings any better than another goodreads reviewer who gave this book 5 stars:

“yo Anne has no chill, she is practically a talking machine, I am not complaining tho”

For me this is a real mixed bag. Some of the poems are absolutely brilliant, some not so much. It's a complete body of work, so it stands to reason that there would be some real clunkers.

This absolute gem from Mayakovsky is making the rounds right now:

Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

Highlights for me:

To My Dead Father
Animals
To A Poet
Spleen
Meditations in an Emergency
A Hill

This is such an upsetting read. I haven't read the original work from which this was adapted, which I probably should have looked into first. At times this feels like a speed-run through authoritarian regimes. So the depth is a little lacking, but it's definitely an overview that made me interested in Snyder's longer non-illustrated edition.

This took me the better part of a month to read. It's exhaustive without being dry. This is my fifth founding father biography and I feel as though it explains the Federalist / Republican schism the best. Chernow also gives real depth to “minor” figures like Jay, Lafayette, Troup and all the other revolutionary heroes who can start to feel like little more than name drops in other biographies.

Hamilton is so fascinating and so flawed. Truly, no detail of his life was glossed over. And Washington is treated very fairly here as well. Chernow doesn't shy away from showcasing what a hot mess his second term was.

Absolutely worth reading. Come for celebration of Eliza Hamilton, stay for the Jefferson slander!

This graphic novel is just excellent. Truly, I haven't read a book by Joe Sacco that isn't. This book is both a chronology and issue based overview of the Dene People of the Northwest Territories in Canada. I'd recommend it if you're interested in First Nations issues or discussions surrounding environmentalism. It has deeply grim moments, particularly outlining the Residential School period in Canada. But there's hope too. There is a very large cast of characters in this book, and I did have trouble keeping track of them at times, but the author is great about labeling and mentioning when a person previously popped up in the book.

This was horrifying! Yikes.

Like I'm going to give this anything less than five stars, lol.

This graphic novel is beautifully crafted. Great characters, a lot of comedy, really pulls at your heart strings. The whole nine yards. I have to admit, I don't think I've think I've read a single fiction book with a Singaporean character so this was a fascinating introduction to Singlish and other Singaporean cultural norms.

This was really charming. It is definitely more character driven than plot driven. The characters are so well defined, which is something I find lacking in a lot of science fiction. I can see why it's so popular.

One of my favorite movies. I'd never read the book, I couldn't believe how faithful an adaptation it was. Mattie Ross is a legend. Also, the dialogue in this book is just incredible.

This was an interesting little tidbit of a book about the brain. Great airplane read.

Man, what a memoir. This woman really went through it. The writing is heavy but beautiful. Michelle talking about her mom and not being able to remember the date of her passing was so relatable. I can see why this is on every best of list this year. Also, the food descriptions are sublime.

This has the same sort of tear jerking inevitability a Pixar movie does. Great, quick read.

Well this was just delightful!

I can appreciate that an incredible amount of work went into creating this biography. However, the writing is so incredibly uneven. The Louisiana Purchase is given perhaps 2-3 pages total. I've certainly read better Founding Father biographies.

Beautifully written. First thing I've ever read by Colm Tóibín a shot. Guess I have to give Brooklyn a shot!

Better than the first volume, but very difficult to quantify a book like this. So worth reading.

Excellent.

I don't know how I hadn't read this yet. It's different in scope than I was expecting and I really appreciated that. Both Art and his dad are so flawed.

This is a really beautiful, sorrowful book. I have lost both of my parents and so much of what is described here takes me back to those moments. The pleading of my dad that he never be put in a home. The exhaustion of taking care of my mother during her cancer. The despair of dealing with doctors who withheld information because they felt they knew best. Not knowing what the next day would bring. That was always the hardest thing. You never know, you simply endure. I'd recommend this to people with aging parents or people interested in medical nonfiction.

This murder mystery takes place in period of history I knew nothing about, 19th century Korea. I'd recommend it if you're interested in historical fiction. The plot was fairly convoluted for a YA novel. It did hold my interest though.

Loved everything about this one. You can tell Molly Knox Ostertag put a lot of herself into this one. Great concept and great execution. So excited this is a series!

Great teen graphic novel read. The art is terrific but the writing is also very well paced! The characters are pretty well developed and the conflict is clearly defined. This was like if a competent writer picked up a CW script if that makes any sense. Giving a lot of Teen Wolf meets Mean Girls vibes. Recommended!

Graphic novel about late 19th century logging camps from the perspective of the Chinese daughter of a camp cook. This was enjoyable! For a graphic novel that leans on folklore pretty heavily it's also very grounded in the historical reality of the time. It's age appropriate so some of the harsher realities of logging are a bit sanitized for younger readers. The art wasn't particularly mind blowing but I did really like the color palette.

Very cute graphic novel about an aspiring roller derby player. I love that Astrid struggles. I don't love that for her, but I love what it shows the reader. That's something my own kids struggle with, putting in the work. I feel like this graphic novel does a good job showing that growth over time. Artwork is very cute and the location is very clearly defined. It definitely felt super Portland as I was reading it.