maddness22's reviews
705 reviews

The Sunny Nihilist: A Declaration of the Pleasure of Pointlessness by Wendy Syfret

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hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

A relatively quick read that offers a very digestible perspective of nihilism through an optimistic lens. From a personal perspective, I've found I've started enjoying life much more when I stopped chasing a "greater purpose" or larger meaning in my life and adopted the sunny nihilistic lifestyle of just living in the moment and with the resources the universe grants you rather than what you expect as proposed in this book. It focuses a ton on the COVID-19 pandemic, which already ages it a tad while reading it in 2025, but it's interesting to analyze the shift of what was meaningful to us before and after the pandemic. 
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gosh this was cathartic. I wished it could've focused a bit more on the aspect of "why would I revolve something as important as my life around something as frivolous as money" and it lost me for about 3 chapters there when it got really in depth on the business side of OnlyFans, but overall I loved the character of Margo and was truly rooting for her for the entire book. She got a couple of cop outs, honestly, but her voice was entertaining and the conflict was too real for those of us broke millennials who are also just doing our best figuring out our way in the world. Very sex positive with excellent dialogue about social class too as a little bonus. 
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

This is more business focused than initially expected, but wow I wish every corporate job I've ever worked engaged with this book. This would be especially beneficial for folks in people management positions, but the insights provided in it also has helped me shape my dialogue with my own manager about my misgivings about my role and how to develop my career and I have no interest in a role in people management at this time. At the very least, it was kind of fun and cool to read about the behind the scenes of some of my favorite Pixar movies and how they were developed at the management level. An interesting read, especially if you're in the corporate world at any level. 
Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay

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funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

These books are FUN. I have FUN and that's all that really matters for these books. They make me legitimately chuckle and scream at parts. The mystery was super obvious to solve, but again - not the point. The point is to have fun and read about delicious cupcakes while solving a basic murder mystery and also reading about fun characters who love and care about each other in a super quick read. 
The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Very cute and emotional middle grade fiction! I only listened to this book because Brian Holden was a narrator (#Starkid4Life) but I really enjoyed it. The emotional depth was astounding and I think it offers great lessons about how not everything can be happy in life while also promoting a very positive environmental message. The relationships are also surprisingly in-depth for a middle grade fiction and it reads incredibly mature (in a good way) for the age group. The ending wraps up a bit quickly, but it fits well for the story. 
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had so much fun with this book!! Daphne is a powerhouse of a main character that I related entirely too much to given our forty year age difference. All of the characters are, in fact, very delightful and I found myself so excited to return to this book whenever I could. It's very fun to imagine Martin Short in the role of Art, for the record. All in all, a fun little romp with an incredible cast of characters that makes me excited to age as disgracefully as Daphne and her friends. 
What Are Children For?: On Ambivalence and Choice by Anastasia Berg, Rachel Wiseman

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

An incredibly validating read for those of us in the position of "meh" when it comes to the decision to have kids. I think it does a good job explaining why so many people in our generation are feeling so in the middle when it comes to that massive decision of whether or not to have kids and the panic of what might happen if we never get around to actually making a decision. There's some comfort for that panic and some reassurances on both sides of the argument in this book. I wish it provided more insight on why people WANT kids since I feel like it was written more in the defense of why people don't want kids, but ultimately I enjoyed the read.

The "To Be" chapter was astounding, but that literary analysis chapter was nonsense that I mostly skimmed through. I didn't want analysis of fictional takes on the ambivalence of having kids if I had most of those books on my TBR anyways. 
Ithaca by Claire North

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adventurous challenging tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Gosh such an incredible read!! I absolutely adored the voice of Hera. She was an incredible narrator and her perspective was a beautiful addition to the narrative. I also adored the thrilling nuances of all of the women and their relationships with each other and how they survived in the massive patriarchal Greek society. The men were well done too with the right level of ego and obnoxious-ness. Telemachus especially was so well done with the "I'm an obnoxious teenage boy wanting glory and power" energy too. What a thrilling and greatly in-depth read! Not sure when I'll ever get around to the sequel but I'm excited to keep going once I do. 
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Gosh this was so, so great. I was honestly annoyed with Teddy before this book, but she is so much more personable in this book and her chemistry with Gus is so dang good. The dirty talk is a bit cringe at times and I feel like the book wrapped up a bit too nicely, especially with everyone being like "Wow you guys are SO perfect so you should be together!!", but man I had fun in the meantime. I also enjoyed Teddy's relationship with Riley and the fun they had together. Very, very fun, but I still maintain that Rebel Blue Ranch is a cult. 
Sing Your Name Out Loud: 15 Rules for Living Your Dream by Jason Derulo

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

1.75

"I never know when someone in the audience is going to ask me to take my shirt off. I've got to be prepared at all times." - 🎶Jason Derulo🎶

This is the first time I've walked away from a celebrity book actively disliking the celebrity when I was positive-neutral on them before reading their book. Granted, I was expecting "washed up pop singer pivots to self help books" and got "washed up pop singer (who is also apparently on TikTok) can't close the yearbook on decades old singles or shut up about himself for more than three pages" instead. It's incredibly unfocused and my heart goes out to the ghost writer who had to take Jason Derulo's half-baked stories about his life and bring meaning to them through 2-3 paragraphs at the end of each chapter that somehow connected to a larger scope of meaning within other people's lives to attempt to define this book as "self help" 

Some of his insights are endearing in a "awww you're so cute" kind of way, but most had me rolling my eyes or skimming through the personal life stories by the end. It's like he wants to be a LinkedIn Bro, but has no idea how to do it or offers any real meaningful insight to his motivation. He regularly harps on how success is only number driven, but never once ever explains how to actually measure metrics or achieve the aspirational analytics for "success". 

My biggest enjoyment came from posting out of context quotes to Instagram where I got quite a lot of laughs and reactions from my friends. That part was quite fun.