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aliciaclarereads's Reviews (1.25k)
read for Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a book about a hobby
The writing of Black women is always becoming, voices intertwining, forging an original, innovative amalgamation. - Gloria Edim
What an excellent collection of essays! This was such a nice sampling of so many authors, some of whom I'v read and some that are new to me. They were all connected to the theme of reading, and the majority focused on the representation of black women in literature. However, I didn't find any of the essays repetitive and felt I gained quite a bit from each author. NK Jeminsin's essay in particular struck me with her gorgeous writing. She's someone I've been meaning to read, but I liked her essay so much, I'm definitely picking up one of her books next. In fact in general, this book is filled to the brim with so many book recommendations. I'll definitely be adding a lot of my to be read pile. Also, now I want to reread Toni Morrison!
With really good literature you're allowed to take multiple journeys as your perspective shifts over time. It continues to resonate, as you find different ways of entering and engaging with the narrative. - Lynn Nottage, Putting Women Center Stage
The writing of Black women is always becoming, voices intertwining, forging an original, innovative amalgamation. - Gloria Edim
What an excellent collection of essays! This was such a nice sampling of so many authors, some of whom I'v read and some that are new to me. They were all connected to the theme of reading, and the majority focused on the representation of black women in literature. However, I didn't find any of the essays repetitive and felt I gained quite a bit from each author. NK Jeminsin's essay in particular struck me with her gorgeous writing. She's someone I've been meaning to read, but I liked her essay so much, I'm definitely picking up one of her books next. In fact in general, this book is filled to the brim with so many book recommendations. I'll definitely be adding a lot of my to be read pile. Also, now I want to reread Toni Morrison!
With really good literature you're allowed to take multiple journeys as your perspective shifts over time. It continues to resonate, as you find different ways of entering and engaging with the narrative. - Lynn Nottage, Putting Women Center Stage
This book infuriated me. Martyn has to one of the worst, most despicable characters I have ever read. And I just finished Wuthering Heights. (Which I loved, but let's be honest the majority of the characters are terrible people). I somewhat liked the ending, but the book in general just made me angry. I think it would have been better if the author hadn't tried so hard. It seemed that she was desperately trying to have achingly, beautiful prose that was deep and thought provoking. But instead it was fragmented and whiny sounding. I read this for my Irish Book Club at school, and I highly recommend never picking up with book. Unless you want to make a bad mood worse.
This is kind of spoilery, but you shouldn't want to read this book anyway.It took Stella 220 pages to tell Martyn to go fuck himself. She should've said it the moment he took her book on the train whilst she was reading. Because that's what I would've done. Not fall in love with a manipulative douchebag who would never answer any question she asked.
This is kind of spoilery, but you shouldn't want to read this book anyway.
read for PopSugar 2019 Advanced Reading Challenge: a "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book
read for PopSugar 2019 Advanced Challenge: an "own voices" novel
The last hour of this audiobook was an absolute WILD ride. I'm still processing this book, and I think it's a story that's going to stick with me for awhile. This is definitely a 4.5 stars, and I'm still debating about rounding up or rounding down.
This book is complicated. I honestly had no idea what is was about going into the book; all I knew is how much I loved Zoboi's writing in [b:Pride|35068632|Pride|Ibi Zoboi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518630179s/35068632.jpg|56364079]. The reader is dropped in right as Fabiola's mother is being taken away by immigration officials, which given how much immigration detention centers are in the news provides an instant tragedy. We're left with Fabiola attempting to adjust to American life and her American cousins all on her own. Fabiola digs deep into her Haitian Voodoo spirituality to help understand this new world, which was fantastic. YA characters are rarely written to have a religion or spiritual beliefs, so Fabiola's reliance on the loa to guide her was such a wonderful inclusion.
An aspect I liked most is how complicated and dynamic Fabiola is written. She's trying her hardest, but she makes some really big mistakes in this book and the consequences are not little. She has to navigate not only a completely different culture, but making friends, falling in love, and trying to bring her mother back to her. This new world in Detroit is rough and harsh as Fabiola witnesses drug dealing and abusive relationships, and tries to reconcile it all. The side characters are equally dynamic, all with unique voices, not just because of the narrator, but also in how they approach the world. I LOVED the interludes where we were given another character's perspective when it got to Dre (which I think I'm spelling wrong since I only heard it pronounced?) I audibly gasped. Oh the reveals at the end are just so good!!
Okay I have to talk aboutKasim's death!! I was so deeply angry at Fabiola when it happened, but the truth is he shouldn't have been killed by the police. It seemed like a comeuppance for her meddling and holier-than-thou attitude towards her cousins, but really it's just a tragic avoidable death. And that stupid detective completely took advantage of a young girl who desperately wanted her mom. And Dre's revelation that HE KILLED HER UNCLE. Oh wow I didn't see that coming. I just think the book ends on a really great note of no one really being innocent and everyone overcoming the trauma from the party. Yeah I had a lot to get off my chest about the twist and turns of this book.
The only downfall I felt was I never fully got a feel for the timeline, so everything felt really fast for me. However, I think that could be due to listening to the audiobook instead of the reading the book. Don't get me wrong, Robin Miles is an AMAZING narrator and delivers a great performance (I listened to 2 books in a row by her and her performances differed so much, wow she's fantastic!). I occasionally lost track of how time passed, and was shocked when at one point it's revealed Fabiola had been in America for 3 months. So occasionally I felt a little lost in the story, but that also feels really reflective of Fabiola's journey. This is just to say I may end up upping my rating.
The last hour of this audiobook was an absolute WILD ride. I'm still processing this book, and I think it's a story that's going to stick with me for awhile. This is definitely a 4.5 stars, and I'm still debating about rounding up or rounding down.
This book is complicated. I honestly had no idea what is was about going into the book; all I knew is how much I loved Zoboi's writing in [b:Pride|35068632|Pride|Ibi Zoboi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518630179s/35068632.jpg|56364079]. The reader is dropped in right as Fabiola's mother is being taken away by immigration officials, which given how much immigration detention centers are in the news provides an instant tragedy. We're left with Fabiola attempting to adjust to American life and her American cousins all on her own. Fabiola digs deep into her Haitian Voodoo spirituality to help understand this new world, which was fantastic. YA characters are rarely written to have a religion or spiritual beliefs, so Fabiola's reliance on the loa to guide her was such a wonderful inclusion.
An aspect I liked most is how complicated and dynamic Fabiola is written. She's trying her hardest, but she makes some really big mistakes in this book and the consequences are not little. She has to navigate not only a completely different culture, but making friends, falling in love, and trying to bring her mother back to her. This new world in Detroit is rough and harsh as Fabiola witnesses drug dealing and abusive relationships, and tries to reconcile it all. The side characters are equally dynamic, all with unique voices, not just because of the narrator, but also in how they approach the world. I LOVED the interludes where we were given another character's perspective when it got to Dre (which I think I'm spelling wrong since I only heard it pronounced?) I audibly gasped. Oh the reveals at the end are just so good!!
Okay I have to talk about
The only downfall I felt was I never fully got a feel for the timeline, so everything felt really fast for me. However, I think that could be due to listening to the audiobook instead of the reading the book. Don't get me wrong, Robin Miles is an AMAZING narrator and delivers a great performance (I listened to 2 books in a row by her and her performances differed so much, wow she's fantastic!). I occasionally lost track of how time passed, and was shocked when at one point it's revealed Fabiola had been in America for 3 months. So occasionally I felt a little lost in the story, but that also feels really reflective of Fabiola's journey. This is just to say I may end up upping my rating.
read for PopSugar 2019 Challenge: a book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
I'm not sure I could put these things into a song...
These muddy trinkets
Not beautiful enough, too bloody and ragged...
I always felt the song should transcend the swamp.
I needed it to dredge me out.
Drain my lungs,
Massage my heart till I'd coughed it up.
Absolutely lovely. I need to get my own copy so I can dwell on this whenever my heart needs it.
I'm not sure I could put these things into a song...
These muddy trinkets
Not beautiful enough, too bloody and ragged...
I always felt the song should transcend the swamp.
I needed it to dredge me out.
Drain my lungs,
Massage my heart till I'd coughed it up.
Absolutely lovely. I need to get my own copy so I can dwell on this whenever my heart needs it.
read for PopSugar 2019 Advanced Reading Challenge: a LitRPG book
If there's one thing Marie Lu excels at it is writing a fast paced plot forward book. Seriously, in all her books I've read I absolutely FLY through them. She's great at keeping up the pace and making sure the story moves along. The action scenes at the end? Riveting! All I could imagine as how fantastic this series could be developed into a film or TV, because I was seeing these fights light up before my eyes. I even teared up at one of the final confrontations because the action had built so well.
Lu is also so excellent at keep her characters diverse. I think this book was one of the first times I've read a nonbinary character? Nothing else is coming to mind at the moment. None of the characters even blink when its explained that Jesse prefers they/them pronouns. Which is beautiful! Sure their role is very small in the novel, but all I could think about is a nonbinary kid or teen reading this and seeing themselves reflected. The diversity was one of the features I adored from the first novel, and although we get way less of the Phoenix Riders here, I'm still so excited by how Marie Lu purposefully crafts her novels where not all the characters look alike.
However, this sequel fell a little flat for me compared to how much fun I had with [b:Warcross|41014903|Warcross (Warcross, #1)|Marie Lu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1533058119s/41014903.jpg|49634052]. Which makes a lot of sense considering that Warcross was bright and splashy as it introduced us to this new world, and Wildcard had to deal with a pretty explosive ending. The ante was upped and it didn't completely meet expectations. I've realized my crux of the issue is this: Wildcard deals with deeply nuanced topics but handles them in a rather black and white way. The new adversaries introduced were almost cartoonishly villainous.Taylor was just... zero development was given. Emika trusts her instantly which I saw through that shit, and then is shocked by her real motives. Girl... For the villain of this book to be truly well done, this series would have needed to be a trilogy. I mean I like that it was a duology, but I think the larger goal of this novel suffered because too much was happening at once.
This book dives deep into morality and control as well as reality and artificial intelligence. In some ways it was handled well, ie Zero's storyline, and in other ways it didn't hold up at all, ie Hideo. Just... wow. All the bad things that are done are explained away because of his tragic backstory of losing his brother. I'm so frustrated with Hideo in this novel, although I'll put why in a spoiler warning.What Hideo did was absolutely evil. The algorithm was evil!! My feelings towards him can basically be summed by Jake Peralta from Brooklyn 99, "cool motive, still murder." I mean I don't care that Taylor died, but Hideo committed so many goddamn crimes and he basically gets off free!! No!! Throw him in jail!! You can still write a love story even if we're honest about how evil Hideo was. Emika can be in love with a bad guy! love is complicated! But Hideo deserved some comeuppance and I was so annoyed. Also... this algorithm is supposed to root out the bad guys and you're telling me that nothing happened with authority structures? Not a single crooked cop turned themselves in? Yeah completely unbelievable to me.
Look morality is deeply complicated but this book doesn't seem to handle it in that fashion. Things end much to tidy for my liking considering how dark these plot lines were. I feel like that could be written off as "well this is YA" but frankly, I expect more of YA novels. Dig into the complicated and messy nature of life. Life doesn't always get wrapped up with a pretty bow. Actions have consequences, and unfortunately most of them weren't addressed in this book.
If there's one thing Marie Lu excels at it is writing a fast paced plot forward book. Seriously, in all her books I've read I absolutely FLY through them. She's great at keeping up the pace and making sure the story moves along. The action scenes at the end? Riveting! All I could imagine as how fantastic this series could be developed into a film or TV, because I was seeing these fights light up before my eyes. I even teared up at one of the final confrontations because the action had built so well.
Lu is also so excellent at keep her characters diverse. I think this book was one of the first times I've read a nonbinary character? Nothing else is coming to mind at the moment. None of the characters even blink when its explained that Jesse prefers they/them pronouns. Which is beautiful! Sure their role is very small in the novel, but all I could think about is a nonbinary kid or teen reading this and seeing themselves reflected. The diversity was one of the features I adored from the first novel, and although we get way less of the Phoenix Riders here, I'm still so excited by how Marie Lu purposefully crafts her novels where not all the characters look alike.
However, this sequel fell a little flat for me compared to how much fun I had with [b:Warcross|41014903|Warcross (Warcross, #1)|Marie Lu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1533058119s/41014903.jpg|49634052]. Which makes a lot of sense considering that Warcross was bright and splashy as it introduced us to this new world, and Wildcard had to deal with a pretty explosive ending. The ante was upped and it didn't completely meet expectations. I've realized my crux of the issue is this: Wildcard deals with deeply nuanced topics but handles them in a rather black and white way. The new adversaries introduced were almost cartoonishly villainous.
This book dives deep into morality and control as well as reality and artificial intelligence. In some ways it was handled well, ie Zero's storyline, and in other ways it didn't hold up at all, ie Hideo. Just... wow. All the bad things that are done are explained away because of his tragic backstory of losing his brother. I'm so frustrated with Hideo in this novel, although I'll put why in a spoiler warning.
Look morality is deeply complicated but this book doesn't seem to handle it in that fashion. Things end much to tidy for my liking considering how dark these plot lines were. I feel like that could be written off as "well this is YA" but frankly, I expect more of YA novels. Dig into the complicated and messy nature of life. Life doesn't always get wrapped up with a pretty bow. Actions have consequences, and unfortunately most of them weren't addressed in this book.
read for PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a book told from multiple character POVs
Wow I adore Kelly Bowen! Her novels have completely swept me off my feet and I can't wait to devour the rest of them! This book was so delightful with a great hero and heroine who complimented each other so well, a wonderful cast of supporting characters, a plot that had many twists and turns but never felt too wild, and so much depth! Our heroine Gisele is a survivor of domestic abuse, and her strength is deeply admirable and relevant in the #MeToo era. Jamie is such a delightful little puppy dog who is completely besotted with Gisele, and ugh, my heart melted. If I had any critique of this book (and truly this applies to Bowen's other books I've read) the timeline is so short that the reader requires some suspension of disbelief for how quickly Gisele and Jamie fall so hard. However I truly wasn't bothered by that!
It also appears that this series is connected by the threads of the Duchess of Worth which is fantastic. I love a whip smart, meddling matriarch who exaggerates her eccentricities. Definitely eagerly anticipating the next book!
Wow I adore Kelly Bowen! Her novels have completely swept me off my feet and I can't wait to devour the rest of them! This book was so delightful with a great hero and heroine who complimented each other so well, a wonderful cast of supporting characters, a plot that had many twists and turns but never felt too wild, and so much depth! Our heroine Gisele is a survivor of domestic abuse, and her strength is deeply admirable and relevant in the #MeToo era. Jamie is such a delightful little puppy dog who is completely besotted with Gisele, and ugh, my heart melted. If I had any critique of this book (and truly this applies to Bowen's other books I've read) the timeline is so short that the reader requires some suspension of disbelief for how quickly Gisele and Jamie fall so hard. However I truly wasn't bothered by that!
It also appears that this series is connected by the threads of the Duchess of Worth which is fantastic. I love a whip smart, meddling matriarch who exaggerates her eccentricities. Definitely eagerly anticipating the next book!
I listened to this all day at work while doing some boring & mindless data work, so I was happy to have Mamrie keep me company. I adored her first book, and I think I might have liked this one even more? She's an incredible storyteller and comedian who've I've really enjoyed for so long!
Also Pittsburgh (mostly Steeler fans) and Pennsylvania got dragged a few times and you know what? Fair.
Also Pittsburgh (mostly Steeler fans) and Pennsylvania got dragged a few times and you know what? Fair.
read for PopSugar 2019 Advanced Reading Challenge: a book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings/unconventionally numbered chapters
"Anyhow, I say, the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown.
She say, Miss Celie, You better hush. God might hear you.
Let 'im hear me, I say. if he ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place, I can tell you."
WOW this was so excellent. I've never seen the film so I went into this knowing absolutely nothing, which I think was a real benefit to me. I'm still so enthralled from finishing this last night that I can't seem to put my thoughts into words! The book moves at a very quick pace since it covers about 30-40 years and a lot of plot happens, but it was never overwhelming. I never felt confused about what was going on. The language is primarily Celie's Southern accent and lower class tone - I'm not quite sure how to phrase that. Celie isn't dumb, she's just black and poor and therefore doesn't speak "proper white English." But you understand her regardless and it firmly cements you in the rural segregated American South. I guess my point is Mark Twain who? Alice Walker is superior at writing dialect. Plus, the epistolary style of the letters to God (and later other characters) provides the reader and immediate intimacy with the story.
But the real joy is the characters. This book is filled to the brim with dynamic, interesting, developed female characters. Even the secondary characters are given a lot of space to grow and shine. No one stays the same from who they are when they are first introduced. It just beautifully reflects life, especially black female life. They are the center of this story and they are so beautiful.
Honestly, I'm gushing and not giving a critical detailed review, but I loved this. The final scene had me in tears. I cannot wait to watch this film and revisit this book when I need it!
"Anyhow, I say, the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown.
She say, Miss Celie, You better hush. God might hear you.
Let 'im hear me, I say. if he ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place, I can tell you."
WOW this was so excellent. I've never seen the film so I went into this knowing absolutely nothing, which I think was a real benefit to me. I'm still so enthralled from finishing this last night that I can't seem to put my thoughts into words! The book moves at a very quick pace since it covers about 30-40 years and a lot of plot happens, but it was never overwhelming. I never felt confused about what was going on. The language is primarily Celie's Southern accent and lower class tone - I'm not quite sure how to phrase that. Celie isn't dumb, she's just black and poor and therefore doesn't speak "proper white English." But you understand her regardless and it firmly cements you in the rural segregated American South. I guess my point is Mark Twain who? Alice Walker is superior at writing dialect. Plus, the epistolary style of the letters to God (and later other characters) provides the reader and immediate intimacy with the story.
But the real joy is the characters. This book is filled to the brim with dynamic, interesting, developed female characters. Even the secondary characters are given a lot of space to grow and shine. No one stays the same from who they are when they are first introduced. It just beautifully reflects life, especially black female life. They are the center of this story and they are so beautiful.
Honestly, I'm gushing and not giving a critical detailed review, but I loved this. The final scene had me in tears. I cannot wait to watch this film and revisit this book when I need it!
read for PopSugar 2019 Advanced Reading Challenge: two books with the same title, paired with [b:Forbidden|7600924|Forbidden|Tabitha Suzuma|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394239949s/7600924.jpg|10018976] by Tabitha Suzuma
I'm really disappointed with this book. I wanted to like it because the premise was so interesting, but the story just fell flat for me. The writing was really simple and seemed to be more telling than showing. I ended this book having no real conception of Eddy and Rhine because I didn't get a real glimpse into their interior worlds. The relationship seemed driven only by sexual attraction. Also, I know there were stakes to this story, but I never felt suspense. Rhine changes his mind nearly instantly, and it just... I don't know.
I couldn't connect with this story, but I already have the other two books in this trilogy checked out and I'm already a little bit into Breathless, so I'm hoping it improves!
I'm really disappointed with this book. I wanted to like it because the premise was so interesting, but the story just fell flat for me. The writing was really simple and seemed to be more telling than showing. I ended this book having no real conception of Eddy and Rhine because I didn't get a real glimpse into their interior worlds. The relationship seemed driven only by sexual attraction. Also, I know there were stakes to this story, but I never felt suspense. Rhine changes his mind nearly instantly, and it just... I don't know.
I couldn't connect with this story, but I already have the other two books in this trilogy checked out and I'm already a little bit into Breathless, so I'm hoping it improves!