gxuosi's Reviews (390)

Grocery Shopping with My Mother by Kevin Powell

Grocery Shopping with My Mother

3.0

challenging dark sad medium-paced

this was pretty good! the poems were all thematically cohesive but almost so cohesive it got to be a point of repetitive or redundant—but given that the poems were written over the course of over 2 decades it makes sense

Content Warnings

Obit by Victoria Chang

Obit

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

really unique format of obituaries as poems, but ultimately this was just fine. i struggled to connect with the stunted sentences, repetitions, and really unexpected symbolism used. the format was the best part.

Content Warnings

Colonize Me by Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley

Colonize Me

Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley

5.0

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

“Saddle a colt in its youth load it with a heavy enough burden to buckle its knees. Then when you mount him the weight of a grown man will seem less than the whole world.” / “If you know that I am the horse please remember I was once just a boy.”

this collection was jaw breaking at times and like a dripping slow faucet at others. i couldn’t connect with every poem, but the ones i did were like lightning. so glad i found this on my library app.

Content Warnings

Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez

Citizen Illegal

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective

i didn't think this would be as witty and funny as it was despite the reviews telling me it would be

Content Warnings

Survival Takes a Wild Imagination by Fariha Róisín

Survival Takes a Wild Imagination

Fariha Róisín

4.0

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

i didn't expect this to be so moist

Content Warnings

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera

3.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

wretched infernal book. leroux this was a log and the book being from 1909 isn't enough of an excuse to have been written like shit.

Content Warnings

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer

3.5

emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

yeah fuck it that was fun. didn’t expect her pregnancy and giving birth to be so central to the story tho.

Content Warnings

The River Judge by S.L. Huang

The River Judge

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

you have made me a hungry daughter; and what do the hungry do but eat?

Content Warnings

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

The Murder on the Links

Agatha Christie

3.0

funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

yeah sure why not

Content Warnings

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Agatha Christie

4.0

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

poirot... oh i need you so badly. i love that little freak.

Content Warnings