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caseythereader
- A bunch of new characters were introduced in this installment, broadening our knowledge of the town and its inhabitants. I adore how effortlessly diverse these books are - small towns don't have to be strictly white and straight.
- This book also begins probing Lila's mental health, particularly PTSD she has around the events of ARSENIC AND ADOBO. I'm looking forward to seeing where this plotline goes.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
- Embarassingly, I've never read the original DRACULA, but I'm a big fan of JANE EYRE and any and all retellings, and I blew through RELUCTANT IMMORTALS in one sitting.
- I loved the reimagining of Bertha and Lucy as the main characters, trying to take control of their narratives even when trapped. And (MILD SPOILER) Mr. Rochester as cult leader is completely inspired.
- I didn't think all of the magical elements made total sense, but I was held in such suspense by the rest of the story that it didn't really matter. Pick this one up if you're in the mood for something weird, dark, funny, and unexpected.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
- HIGH TIMES IN THE LOW PARLIAMENT is a strange, funny little novella that I adored. It's such a unique world where humans and fairies are at odds yet working together, leading to both great tension and hilarity.
- The parallels of the book's deadlocked Parliament to our own real life struggles with Congress are a bit depressing, but watching Lana and her compatriots figure it out was thrilling.
- Did I mention this is a world of entirely women? No men, everyone is sapphic!
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Alcohol
- I think if you've spent any time at all learning about (or experiencing) what the far right is up to, there isn't a lot of new information in this book. However, Lavin really does a great job of linking seemingly disparate ideologies, events, and social and governmental failures together to show how we arrived here.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
- BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN is a gorgeous book. It tackles so many topics, from immigration to ableism, and never feels overstuffed.
- This book really digs in to how disabled people are often treated as if they are not the experts on their own bodies. Verónica spends so much time telling adults what she is capable of, and they continue to try to make decisions about her body without her.
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Medical content, Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia
- TEN STEPS TO NANETTE is one of the best memoirs I've ever read. Hannah Gadsby is both funny and vulnerable, thoughtful and pulling no punches.
- I admired the way she navigated talking about some of the horrible things she has lived through, taking a stance of "you need to know about this event for storytelling purposes, but that does not entitle you to every last detail."
- I highly recommend the audiobook, read by Gadsby herself. You get the comedic timing and the emotional impact of her live shows, plus audio clips of her performing are added into the audio where relevant.
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
- THE BOOK EATERS is part adventure tale, part gothic mystery, part horror story and I loved it.
- I loved that it not only gave us the gothic manor tropes but also the claustrophobia of being a woman born into an impossibly patriarchal system. Watching Devon try to navigate her love for her children with her need to break free and be her own person was heart wrenching.
- It's not super obvious from the summary, but this book is also queer! There's some nice sapphic longing from Devon, as well as an asexual secondary character.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking, Acephobia/Arophobia
- It took me a bit to get into this story, as I often find older novels keep the characters at a bit of a remove for my tastes. But once I got a handle on it, I was invested in Gilda and her search for a place and people to belong with.
- It reminded me quite a bit of Octavia E. Butler's work, not just for the vampire parallels to FLEDGLING, but also for the considerations of complex relationships and families as characters navigate new situations and realities.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation