competencefantasy's Reviews (912)

This reads a lot like a textbook to a course whose practicum I would like to take. 
Must thing more about the way it explains chemistry for use as a teacher

I love the writing. I love the weirdness. I love the humor. But something about this viewpoint of someone who documents disability for court (which apparently is inspired by the author's own experience) and the way the viewpoint character is perceiving an insolated disabled character and that is interacting with the surreal symbolism is making me unwilling to let her have a go at the other themes I've seen mentioned in reviews like PTSD and suicide. Might or might not revisit at some point. 

Really fun
Really spicy
I actually was in for the romance again
I should really be using this author to teach me how to write M/F romances haha

Things I've looked at/read for this

A review on anniekslibrary 
REVIEW: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang on dearauthor

So there's this obvious sort of disney channel ice girls feel
That a lot of this stuff has
And it definitely scratches that itch.
The racism content was more intense than I expected for this grade level
And it got me thinking about being a teacher
And what goes on behind my back
And what students might hide because involving me would make it worse
And how does that get fixed 

Other things I've read/watched about this 
 Snack Time with MacKids: The Comeback with E. L. Shen (this is a reading) 
The Kircus Review 

Even though my own background doesn't exactly match up to the character's but
There were some sections
Especially those about invisible illness
That really resonated emotionally with me.
The romance was really sweet too.
I want to get a copy to refer back to.  

Other things I've looked at for this
A review  by C.G. @ Paper Fury 

 Sick Kids in Love || A must of a read! Posted on December 14, 2019 by dbsguidetothegalaxy 

 

So funny
Upbeat 
Charismatic 
And really brought me into how this makes sense
It is weird for me to read something that assumes good intentions of parents
Whether in my culture or another
Because my brain is so trained to analyze every chance for parental abuse in any system I see. 
I am working on being aware so that I don't do that more when the culture is not my own. 
Everything in this book though is very wholesome, self, aware and cute. 

Other things I have read/looked at for this 
Nica Fictional Fandoms Review
The author's instagram, which is amazing and led me to the book

This has me thinking about
Cultural combinations
The complicity of adoption
Kitchen culture
How I should probably believe a person is a jerk if they play one on a reality show
Which reality shows I find "relaxing" and why
Westernization as connects to cultural appropriation
Or as living of dual identities.
What makes "better" food.
Gentrification.

Other things I've read/looked at related to this
" Chef Marcus Samuelsson Says the Best Ethiopian Cook in His House Is His Wife " on medium
The Tadias Interview with the Author
" Marcus Samuelsson’s Overcooked Memoir Makes His Pricey Harlem Discomfort Food Hard to Swallow" by Eddie Huang on the Observer
" Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Hit With Wage Theft Lawsuit" on waiterpay
Tried to find more on the Ramsey stuff but just got recaps of the book. 

I think the thing that the book said to me which connected the most is
Westerners don't get why this worldbuilding monologue section is so dramatic
People who are in the culture do

I don't think I had enough context to think of it as a speculative book
And I've never really been into the whole 
What if this anxiety provoking historical event about communism had worked out differently
Which seems to be a genre of scifi to me
I honestly couldn't tell much about what was author vs history.

As the book points out, that's not its fault. 

I really don't like the whole drugged=complacent trope though

Other things I've viewed about this

NPR: 'The Fat Years': China's Brave New World
Youtube Waterstones: The Fat Years by Chan Koonchung
I can't seem to find a lot on this... suggestions?

 

So I have a science degree

And would have had a chemistry PHD from a big deal institute if my health had held (and advisor was less abusive)

I teach science. 

I knew none of this

None of this at all. 

And I am just shocked and appalled by that. 

Sure I can claim that biology is not my area. 

But come on I took a senior undergraduate drug discovery course. 

I should know this 

Frustrated arm wave. 

I mean not just *relevant* it’s fascinating. 

The concept of consent for studies

Medical ethics

That we argue necessity for public good but then have inaccessible care 

I probably would have talked more about the sister thing

Really easy to read writing style, not sure about some of the framing

Other Things I’ve looked at/read for this

Review by Colorful Book Reviews (This makes some points about the white reporter writing about a black family thing that I’m not qualified to comment on but did notice)

Book & Movie Review - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  Rachel Rae Youtube (makes some interesting points about Deborah as a source)

Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot  by Starzbooks Youtube

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - A USF Faculty Discussion  USF Libraries Youtube

 

I knew going into this that there was something....

Start felt very standard

Suspicious 

Determination, obsessive student

Academy, teachers are such characters, especially the high one

This guy reminds me of all my martial arts teachers

Getting nostalgic and…

Oh no…

Uh oh

This author writes really well about war

I like it when historians write fantasy tomes 

They’re really good at it

Glares pointedly at nonhistorians putting tobacco in medieval england 

The ocean battle thing was so vivid 

I love that there are consequences for things

And that’s a great idea for a monster. 

Oh no…

That’s what they meant by dark

Ok so I’m not crying 

And I”m worried about myself because I don’t think that’s a good sign

Though I did read a lot of thing kind of stuff when I was a teenager 

Which is also probably concerning.

Choices choices choices 

This theology is as triggery as the violence

Look what you made me make you make yourself do. 

Still doesn’t cry, wanders around in a self reflective funk for two hours. 

Other things I’ve read/looked at for this

The Barnes and Noble Review by S. Qiouyi Lu

Kris Mauna's Review on Goodreads

@chroniclesofnoria ‘s youtube video. 

what the poppy war means to me // a guest post by kevin yang on the read by tiffany blog

(I know I’m probably missing some folks because a lot of people have talked about this book and if that’s you I would love to have it pointed out so I can read it again)