takecoverbooks's reviews
216 reviews

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A much-needed expose of the cost of tech optimism and call-to-arms for musicians at-large. Incredibly exhaustive in its research. 
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

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4.0

Model Home by Rivers Solomon

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challenging dark inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

A personal and factual account of growing up with A Tribe Called Quest.
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri

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

3.0

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A brutal and tragic work of alternate history (in which the historical Underground Railroad is made literal) that reveals the scars of history that remain on the American body politic.
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On Property by Rinaldo Walcott

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Hard to place a rating on a book like this. While Walcott's voice is undeniably academic, On Property is an eye-opening and clear-minded statement of purpose for the contemporary abolition movement. This is necessary reading for everyone who wants to abolish the police and anyone that could be convinced.
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They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

A great book showcasing how music informs our lives. Touching on artists as diverse as Carlie Rae Jepsen, Jack Harlow, No Name, The Wonder Years, and so many more, Abdurraqib's syncretic approach to music as food for thought is truly amazing.
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One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

5.0

There’s nothing I can say about this that wouldn’t feel cheap. Read this book.
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Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

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dark emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead is Emily Austin’s ingenious answer to Ligotti’s The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. In Gilda, we’re given a complex, depressive, neurotic perspective that shows why we fight nihilism in the face of our own mortality: we must. We have no other alternative. Hilarious, revelatory, and existential, this book is criminally underrated.
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