emward44's Reviews (196)

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related, for better or worse… and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”

The second installment in the Percy Jackson series: complete! I've reread this series numerous times growing up, but it's always fun to come back to a favorite series after many years and relive the fun.

This installment hasn't always been my favorite in the series, but it's still humorous and fun and adventurous, with likable, lovable characters and action throughout. Tyson is just the sweetest character ever and Percy continues to be our lovable "smart idiot."

This novel is where the groundwork for the Great Prophecy really starts to appear, with characters and themes (and threats) being established as we continue on with the rest of the series.

Overall, this was another delightful, fun, and light read, and I'm excited to continue the series!

"Black is beautiful and ugly, intelligent and unintelligent, law-abiding and law-breaking, industrious and lazy—and it is those imperfections that make Black people human, make Black people equal to all other imperfectly human groups."

This was definitely a denser read, both in the length of the book as well as its content. But this was most certainly a necessary read. I'm going to ruminate and reflect and review my (extensive) notes as I let this one sink in, but I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn about the development, implementation, and evolution of racist ideas in America, and what we can do both as individuals and as a greater society to combat them. Because it's not enough to be nonracist. We must be antiracist.

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…,” he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word. “What a stupid lamb,” I sighed. “What a sick, masochistic lion.”

I'll write a longer review once I've had time to really think on it but my God was that a rough one. And yet I'm still planning on reading the other three books at some point. Just as I thought in middle school when I first read it, this book just wasn't for me. Except now I'm a big-brained adult who can read more critically and recognize all of the issues this book has.

“I'm your friend. And friends don't let friends live small lives.”

This was just so sweet and adorable and perfect for fall! Now I wanna go to a pumpkin patch.

“You really don’t understand, do you?” she said. “I don’t want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted? Just like that, and it didn’t mean anything. What then?”

I remember reading this book for the first time as a child and being super creeped out by the horrific things that appear throughout this book. Now as an adult I'm not as creeped out but it's still very unsettling. Overall, this was a fun and ghostly adventure story about a little girl named Coraline showing us that being scared and doing what is necessary anyway is bravery, and that it's good to appreciate the ordinary and boring sometimes.

“But it’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters.”

The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my favorite stories of all time. Firstly, it is just brimming with puns and play on words that never fail to make me laugh (i.e., How do you get to the Island of Conclusions? By jumping!). The author's use of literary concepts in such a literal sense is absolutely ingenious and makes for an entertaining read (the more you understand said literary concepts, the more enjoyment you get out of the story).

But beyond the humor, this novel impresses upon the reader the value and delight in always being curious and creative. It's a lesson I think children as well as adults can take away from. As long as you have imagination and an eagerness to learn, the world will never be as boring as you believe.

At a time in my life where things seem to be simply dragging on, it's good to have a reminder that adventure is all around us. You just have to look.

A pretty good adaptation of the original novel. I particularly like the art style and how the artist really portrays the kids as, well, kids (as I've seen stories where the child characters appear older than they're supposed to be).

This was a really cute children's story. It's got puns and witty banter and is overall just a charming little story about Gray, who just wants to be included with all of the other colors.

I write a full review later on, but overall I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the world building and look forward to continuing the trilogy.

As for the Audible audiobook, it was an enjoyable listen, and I particularly liked how they had a full cast to really immerse yourself in the characters and the story.