anniefwrites's reviews
387 reviews

A really lovely, lengthy picture book about science, travel, and marine wildlife. The illustrations were my favorite part—they were scientifically accurate but also so beautiful!

Wow wow wow. I've learned quite a bit about Kathleen Hanna's life and work from the documentary The Punk Singer and the historical journalism in the book Girls to the Front. But hearing from Hanna through her own voice and memories made such a different impact. If Britney Spears's memoir exposes the institutional forces (including her family) that abused a star musician, then Kathleen Hanna's exposes the interpersonal violence that a star musician in the underground scene can face. It is honestly amazing that Hanna is still with us, still performing, still learning, after all the truly brutal abuse she faced at the hands of men through nearly her entire life. The book also digs deep into her role as a de facto leader of a movement that was supposed to be radically egalitarian. She owns up to a lot of her mistakes in a matter-of-fact way that I think all white feminists can look to as an example. Her humor, passion, and raw honesty practically spill out of the pages. I wish more people would learn about her and the amazing, flawed world that was Riot Grrrl.

An accessible, heartwarming (and at times heart-wrenching) glimpse into the life of a young refugee. Jude is such a loveable character, and that makes the trials she faces as a Muslim Syrian refugee living in Ohio tug at your heartstrings even more. I think verse is the perfect form for this kind of narrative, one that focuses on the intricacies of language, both learning and remembering, and the disjointed nature of moving to a new place. This would be a perfect entry point for discussing conflict in other countries with a young reader.

I really, really enjoyed this. Celeste Ng’s writing style is so perfectly readable and yet full of beautiful imagery and turns of phrase. She created such a vivid setting and culture in Shaker Heights with just as vivid characters to populate it. She managed a large cast exceedingly well, and I felt like I knew each character just as well as the next. And not only did I gasp more than once, but I sank deep in thought reflecting on Ng’s subtle yet powerful descriptions of race, class, and motherhood. Would absolutely read more of her work. 

This was a really interesting read! I’m a fan of the Switched on Pop podcast, and it was cool to get Nate and Charlie’s analyses of pop music in a different format. I think it was probably easier for me to grasp some of the concepts because of my music theory background, but all in all I think they did well managing such an audio-based subject matter in a non-audio medium. I think the most interesting parts were the info about how Skrillex produces his music and the inspiration for Since U Been Gone (mind blowing!!). Overall, a fun read to dip in and out of. 

This was just too opaque for me. I’m not a regular sci-fi reader, and there was so little context that I found the constant setting changes disorienting and couldn’t mentally fill in all the gaps.

The twists were fun, but I was struggling so hard with the general plot that they didn’t hit that hard for me.

And the language was so laden with imagery that I couldn’t really appreciate it—I was too busy trying to piece together what was going on. 

What an absolute trip. I went in thinking this was an interesting (and at times gory) literary horror novel, but I came out with something almost entirely different. The Reddit thread interpreting the book is super interesting and illuminates some potential hidden meanings that I didn’t pick up on on the first read. I can’t remember ever reading a book this open to interpretation before, and I think Awad did so in a way that still feels satisfying. Such a strange storm of a book. 

This book was an absolute riot from start to finish—so inventive and fresh while also having so much heart. I absolutely loved the characters; they felt so real and specific. The plural narration functioned so well with the plot, and the details of the setting were so specific and used such innovate language and imagery. (I consider myself to have a pretty good vocabulary, but I had to look up quite a few words.) I think the narrative could have gotten even darker, but based on the ending, I’m actually glad that it wasn’t. This was such a wholly original book, and I’ll definitely reread it during future spooky seasons. 

I’m on the fence about this one. While the generally lighthearted tone was good for things like humor and entertainment, I feel like it lowered the stakes a bit throughout. It wasn’t until the last 25 chapters or so that things picked up enough to get my heart racing.

In the end, there were so many twists and wrong answers that I found it a bit hard to follow.

I did really enjoy the characters though—I wish I could have a chat with Joyce over a pastry and some tea. 

This was a really interesting way to learn about the different communities and challenges of my city. I loved the visuals of the murals, which I hope to see more of as I visit new spots downtown. Being a somewhat scholarly text, it could be a little dry, but it did give me a lot to think about and a certain amount of hope that art can be a tool in bringing people closer together. Shout-out to the local librarian who recommended this to me!