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laurenleigh's reviews
623 reviews
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
I learned of this through Aubrey Gordon, and it’s a wonderful addition to the growing library of texts on body liberation and anti-fat bias. This focuses on anti-fatness particularly towards the Black masc body. It was pretty dense despite being a short book, and there were moments I wanted to spend longer on a topic. One of my biggest takeaways was how anti-fatness played a role in many high-profile murders of Black men by police officers, which is an angle I never quite considered. Very powerful, and I’m still processing a lot of this text.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The third (and I think final?) installment in this series, it really followed the formula of the first two. The magic systems and fantasy plot lines confuse me, but the romance elements are cute and carry me through. I knew what I was getting into, so I didn’t try too hard to follow the story, just enjoyed the ride. These books get quite spicy, but I found this one to have an interesting extra layer to both the romance and the smut. Let’s just say that power dynamics are explored, both in the bedroom and in society. It was thought-provoking and well done!
True Biz by Sara Nović
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was everything I wanted it to be! I love when I can learn something from fiction, and I have way more understanding of deaf culture now. Not that I’m by any means an expert, but I didn’t even know how little I knew until now! The audio version was very cool because when dialogue was signed, they actually recorded someone signing so there’s some hand sound effects behind the narration. These characters were relatable and lovable, and the plot was engaging and interesting. I highly recommend!
The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Doesn’t it feel so good when you FINALLY read something that’s been on your TBR for years? This kind of memoir is so important. The author isn’t a celebrity, isn’t involved in some wildly dramatic true crime or cult story, she’s just living her life with all its unexpected twists and turns. The reality of it all was refreshing. I could relate with Wizenberg on a LOT, so that made this especially poignant for me. (Not everything, mind you, just a lot.) I don’t have room to go into more detail here, but if you want to read about real LGBTQIA+ stories that aren’t YA, pick this up.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Why was this such a struggle for me? The premise sounded awesome, but I could not follow the story nor connect with any of the characters. Perhaps audio isn’t the version to read this book, but the narrator seemed fine and I can’t pinpoint why it was lacking. Maybe the politics and scheming was too complicated to listen to while unpacking, though I haven’t had that problem with other books. If I hadn’t already added this book to multiple reading challenge prompts, I would have DNF-ed.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
You never know how close to the original text a retelling will end up. This one (following in the footsteps of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher) stuck to the original plot line pretty closely, which makes the diversions even more important. I appreciated the alternate history where we have trans and/or gender non-conforming people, and of course there were mushrooms involved. There seems to be such a trend of that in horror these days, but I’m into it. Definitely creepy, but without getting too scary.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
informative
medium-paced
3.5
This was a different kind of book than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. It really just follows the Theranos company from day 1 to when the book was published, in chronological order. Absolutely insane how a charismatic leader can get away with so much for so long. I wanted more insight on Elizabeth Holmes as a person, maybe information on the trial, but I guess that hadn’t happened yet when this was written. It was very well researched, but at the end it started feeling a bit too antagonistic. Like yes, there were people harmed here, but it started to feel like Carreyrou was personally very angry. He’s allowed to feel that way, but it shifted the focus away from the broader community of injured parties.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cute and uplifting, but *just* bordering on schmaltzy. It really toed that line throughout, and I was constantly evaluating if it crossed over into corny. I’m not sure that it ever truly did, but it was certainly close. A number of the police interviews and character discussions were supposed to be comedic but kind of drove me crazy. Like when characters annoyed each other or miscommunicated, I felt their annoyance too strongly. Overall it was cute and I get why people are into this author, but I’d have to be really in need of a life-affirming read to pick up another of his works.
Bloom by Kevin Panetta
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
We love a gay YA graphic novel in June! And all year for that matter, but a cute story and a quick pace are perfect for summer. I didn’t always love our MC, but I get that he was going through a difficult growing period and needed to get past that to be a better, nicer, more mature adult. I absolutely adored the love interest! The plot took a surprising turn that was more dramatic than I anticipated, but still had a nice satisfying ending.
This Winter by Alice Oseman
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love the Heartstopper characters, but this novella is a lot sadder than the graphic novels and I didn’t love it as much. Charlie is newly out of an ED recovery center, and I understand those difficulties all too well, but I also struggled with his teenage moodiness. He can’t seem to make up his mind whether he wants attention or not. I know it’s about the right kind of attention, and I get that this balance is difficult to achieve, but it wasn’t terribly fun to read. I can relate to Charlie just as much as I can relate to the mom and sister, so I find myself frustrated on both ends.