moserk's Reviews (128)

When I tell you I placed an obscene amount of flags in this book...I'm underestimating.

This collection covers many topics, prompts much thought/future reading, and elicits nearly every emotion. I laughed. I cried. I grieved past losses. I celebrated areas of joy.

Ross Gay says it himself: he is a fan of digression. Each essay is layered with tangential footnotes (some spanning multiple pages) that I came to love, even when I became confused and required a re-read. These might reference other works (art inspires art, ya know), but most often provide a side-story/thought that deepens Ross Gay's already personal account on joy, its connection to (reliance on??) acknowledging grief/pain/sorrow, and our connection with those around us.

Make Beautiful Shit Together.

Again narrated by Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota actor Isabella Star LaBlanc, I urge you to consider this for an immersive read. 

Boulley's use of Anishinaabemowin, both with side-by-side translational and without, makes the language as much of a character as Perry, Auntie Daunis, and Cooper Turtle. Hearing this brought to life by LaBlanc adds depth you simply can't get from the physical read alone. 

It's not often I prefer a sequel to the original work, but I undoubtedly do here. 

l could continue singing the book's praises, but will just let you read it yourself.

Like the concept, but lackluster execution. Not at all what I was expecting (hoping?). Then again, I'm not exactly sure how I ended up selecting this in the first place, so maybe I did this to myself.  

Maybe it's that I audio'd it, but truthfully I think a physical read would've resulted in a DNF for me. 

The entire book can be reduced to one blip out of the epilogue, summarized as:
"Treat yourself with kindness and love. Know that your needs are reasonable and your feelings are signals of something important."

If I gave Circe a 4, then this must be a 5.

I'm not much interested in commentary on the "historical inaccuracies" to Homer's Iliad, as that's the beauty of a retelling - to delve into a new perspective and storyline. To entertain "what ifs." 

And I found this retelling quite well done. In fact, I found much of it beautiful.

I loved reading from Patroclus' eyes and thoroughly enjoyed a new, softer side to Trojan War hero Achilles.

My local bookseller's recommendation when I asked for "a holiday/winter set read - without the fluff and traditional Christmas romance storyline"....yup, this fits the bill. 

Holiday thriller with multiple timelines and POVs across both timelines. I, unfortunately, called the entire plot line and both reveals - but I wouldn't say it was obvious; I had a guess but wasn't sure it was correct until the official reveal. Enjoyable nonetheless. 

Quintessential holiday romance. Hallmark-esque read with above average character development/backstory for this kind of story. 

Heartwarming. Uplifting. Cozy cozy cozy.

As good as they say. Beautifully written. Engaging pace. Complex + developed characters.