207 pages
by Ijeoma Oluo
Pages: 248
Stars: 5 out of 5
Ijeoma Oluo addresses head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America.
A true story about a Omar and his nonverbal brother growing up in a refugee camp. I don't think I've read anything quite like this, and the artwork is so vibrant while still being realistic. This book is incredible and I think everyone should read it. All the feels.
Read Harder Challenge #19
256 pages
Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal by Clint McElroy
Fantasy Nascar, a giant magical wrench and sexy plant puns. I've really enjoyed this series. I've listened to a bit of the podcast it is based on, but I just love the colorful artwork and humorous background objects. The story is quirky, funny, and just a lot of fun all around.244 pages
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki
A different take on Harley's origin story, with class struggles, gentrification and green activism (led by Poison Ivy, of course). I thought this is one of the better DC Ink graphic novels, and I love the representation included among the urban population. A fun afternoon read for comic fans.196 pages
Attack on Titan: Volumes 2/3 by Hajime Isayama
This series is so much fun! Perfect blending of horror, science fiction, and dystopia. Lots of gruesome titan battles, with a family mystery thrown in. I'm starting to get to the point where I may give the anime another try.
400 pages (192+208)
Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir, Sarah Andersen
Andy Weir does comics? Whaaaa? Such a great concept, mashing Alice/Wonderland, Wendy/Neverland, and Dorothy/Oz together into a fun fantasy adventure. I am very glad that he got a different illustrator though-Andersen is one of my favorite web comic artists!117 pages
My Hero Academia Vol. 1 by Kohei Horikoshi
Ah, yes. The superhero academy trope. I've never really liked these stories. This one is very well done, and I can see why it is so popular, it's just not for me. Also, skinny/buff guy is creepy.
187 pages
Aquatlantic by Giorgio Carpinteri
This one was so strange. The artwork is gorgeous, and I enjoyed seeing Soviet Constructivism, which isn't used much in art today. Heavy allegory, almost to the point where there isn't much story. Pretty pictures though.
49 pages
Struggling to focus. Reading short books. Under 200 pages. Why don't magazines count? ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
Mopey wild man. Mopey vampire. Mopey fairies.
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
Excited for her next book.
157 pages
Reread, still sad.
Family history is so important.
Seniors deserve respect and dignity.
47 pages
Controversial, out of print.
Teenage angst, trauma.
Teens also deserve respect and dignity.
Hard to put down, not really scary.
130 pages
Real, raw writing.
Love her spoken word poetry.
Give, grieve, grow.
99 pages
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Beautiful Asian fantasy world.
Fierce queer women.
I want to try black salt.
NEED the next book.
(No, I don't want to wait a month)
Read Harder Task #11
121 pages
Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell by Victoria Cosner
Why rob graves? For science!
Who doesn't want to preserve their family members?
He could view his wife across the river, how sweet.
Now I have to visit Hannibal.
142 pages
Lately, I've been having trouble focusing for long enough to get through longer books. Thank you audiobooks for being there for me! This is a tribute to all the audiobooks that have helped me get through the past few months:
I wasn't a huge fan of this one, but I totally get why people liked it. I liked the conflicts between faith and science, adding the immigrant experience, grief, and drug addiction on top of it. The complexity of it made the story feel very real to me. I also enjoyed the little scientific discussions scattered throughout, giving context and relevant analogies to the story. Plus it's narrated by my faaaaavorite reader, Bahni Turpin. It was an engaging read, and this book would be great for those who like literary fiction and novels highlighting social issues.
261 pages
I know, I know. Everyone is sick of politics by now. Why would I put myself through this book? (To be fair, I read this in October) It's partly because I've enjoyed Woodward's other books. He asks very good interview questions, and the answers given by the subject in this one are... mindboggling. Not surprising, just perplexing. I really liked how the audiobook had the actual recorded interview segments included in the Appendix. That was cool. This would be a good read for anyone who actually isn't sick of politics right now (so what, that's maybe 50 or so people, if that?).
452 pages
The premise of the novel is really good! A family is on vacation, only the homeowners show up to stay while the world is falling apart around them. My biggest issue with the book is that the actual details of the apocalypse are never described besides flashes and tidbits. Was it nuclear war? Climate change? Power outages? Something else? Who knows! That isn't really the point though. This is a well written apocalypse novel for dystopian junkies and literary fiction lovers alike.
241 pages
Dittritch is a journalist, but his grandfather was the brain surgeon who sliced out Henry Molaison's hippocampus, leaving him incapable of storing long term memories. I remember learning about H.M. in a psychology course, but this book got so deep into the personal details of the people surrounding Henry's life. Dude, this doctor was nuts! He climbed the Brooklyn Bridge when it was still under construction! He experimented on (mostly female) asylum patients just to see what would happen after chopping up their brains! He even conducted surgery on his own wife! That is seriously messed up. Also, the psychologist who worked with Henry later in life was so possessive of him and her research that we can't even look back at her research notes anymore. *insert anger emoji* This story was engaging and shocking, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in medicine, psychology, or narrative nonfiction.
440 pages
• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job."
A heroine with a chronic illness? Sign me up! Chloe was a wonderful heroine; I enjoyed her snark, her fears, her bravery and wit.
373 pages
Lock
Every Door by Riley Sager
No
visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other
residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for
Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of
Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings.
I
like this book but it was a little slow to get off to a start. I have heard a
lot of good things about this author and I will try another title or two so all
in all I can recommend this book.
400 pages
A
charming tale of the folks who reunite at a ramshackle roadside motel in Pine
Creek, Oregon, after the unfortunate death of Henny, a local who worked at the
cabins all her life, and who isn't going to let a tiny thing like death stop
her from living fully — not when her friends and her little town need her the
most.
This
book totally crashed midway through the book. I was really intrigued at first
but instead of sticking with the “ghost” story it gets into political and social
issues and focuses on that instead of the original plotline. I didn’t finish
it. L
Emily
knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of
Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an
accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the
local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating
and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying
that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
This
was a fun read. There are some serious points in this book but the most fun
comes into play when the studious teacher plays the part of an unscrupulous
pirate during the faire. Which personality traits are actually the real ones?
336 pages
Soon
after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the
letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one
driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.
