nerdyprettythings's Reviews (515)

Hmmm. I mostly enjoyed this! A lot of reviewers have said so at this point, but you'll like it a lot more if you don't go into this expecting horror. This book is a lot more of a literary/mystery/thriller situation. A few sections were difficult to get through, and I actually think rather than trying to save some of the final revelations for the end, I would have gotten through them more easily if the book went ahead and revealed the connections between the characters from the start. 
The very end really let me down. The author has the MC who is closest to his own background essentially say "this is the theme of my story" and another character respond "ouch, that's hard to hear," which, after building the theme throughout the book, felt very heavy-handed and out of place.

Oh. Em. Gee. I freaking loved this book. It’s absolutely break-neck paced, if you’re in a slump, I dare you to pick this up. Basically, a DNA company discovered a gene that pairs you with your ~one true match~ but the catch is that they can truly be anyone: older or younger, on the other side of the world or in your friend group, any sexuality. Fans of Black Mirror will love this, even when (tiny spoiler) a couple characters do get happy endings. Honestly obsessed, no notes, absolutely great time reading.

Atwood's The Blind Assassin is the first book that made me love the old-lady-tells-a-story genre. This is also an old lady book, as advertised. Atwood's partner of nearly 50 years died in 2019, and this book is mostly exploring grief, aging, and memory. This feels very personal, but also has a few stories
that take great advantage of her incredible imagination and sense of humor. I definitely recommend the audiobook, Atwood reads some of the stories and the other narrators they brought in (including Bahni Turpin for one story!) were great.

I may try to pick it back up later, but for right now it’s a no. I can’t do the “homophobic Christians mean well” thing that this book seems to be going for. I know it’s set in 2013 and is going for a “look how much better it is now” thing, but have you seen 2023?

Mixed thoughts - on one hand, I sort of wish her publisher had said “this is great, but make it a memoir instead.” The author references her own experiences as a fat person throughout, but the book truly is a list of myths and the facts, figures, and personal stories that would equip you to push back on these widely accepted narratives about fat people. 
On the other hand, as a fat person, some of the sections were very emotional for me. I’ve basically been on all the diets, and my mom is “just concerned for my health.” The myth that doctors are neutral arbiters of health I know well. I think this guide (and reflection questions) are great for people of all sizes looking to question our learned reactions to seeing fat bodies, including our own.

Yessssss! This book is absolutely unhinged and I didn't set it down after I started it. A totally wild ride that starts with a group of writers joining an older literary icon for a one-month writing retreat. This has an isolated, cold setting, a small group of women, and a lot of interlaced storytelling. I don't know that it quite sticks the ending but by then I didn't care much, I was just along for the ride. If you are looking
to break a reading slump, I think this would be a perfect choice. All that said, I would definitely check
the CW for a couple things I think this book handled too nonchalantly.

I really enjoyed this one! I was drawn to the cover (I mean hello) and then I saw that the author was a Texan and I bought it. The MCs are a true crime writer in Austin and a woman from Laredo who was married to two men at the same time in the 8os, ending with one of the men dead and the other in jail. I really enjoyed the way the book slowly unfolded what really happened with this woman and her
family. Also I loved - except for the writer getting a case file at the beginning, cops are not involved in this book, the focus is on the two MCs and their families.

Eeeep be still my You've Got Mail-loving heart. This was such a cute romance. Bookish girl contacts a mysterious author and, unbeknownst to her, he's her hot new neighbor! There is so much in here for book lovers - bonding over NK Jemisin, publishing industry talk, going to bookstores, also did I mention the male lead is both a hot guy and an author? Both MCs are introverts and over thinkers, and you get to be in both of their heads, which I really enjoyed, despite obviously yelling at them about getting together quicker. This one is coming out next week and I highly recommend. 

This is the history so many want to pretend doesn’t exist. As I write this in 2023 Charles Person is 80 years old. Something as basic as riding a bus and sitting in the station led to the attempted murders and brutal beatings of the members of the first Freedom Rides and those who took up the mantle after them. I learned a lot - the strategy and the training that went into preparing them for the rides especially. This memoir also does a great job of establishing the perspective of this young kid who has already been involved with the movement but is not at all prepared after his optimistic start for how they’ll be treated as they cross into Alabama. Despite knowing where it’s going, there’s this sense of dread as he talks about how well the first week went. 
A few notes:
The people who beat them slowed down when they were caught on camera, and despite being clearly visible, faced almost no consequences. 
They punctured bus tires to stop it from moving and set it on fire when it stopped. Destruction of company property meant nothing to them or to the police. 
The reason the folks on the bus survived is that the bus engine exploded and the perpetrators of the violence didn’t want to die in their own death trap. The family of a little girl who offered them water was forced to leave town.
The Attorney General of the United States had to get involved to get them safely to the airport to leave and at the airport they faced mobs and bomb threats. 
Through every instance of this, the cops did nothing to stop the violence against the Freedom Riders and in some cases actively conspired to allow them to be beaten. 

Ouch, this one was a big letdown. They pitched this as Clue+GBBO+Only Murders in the Building and I was stoked. But... I thought it was bad. If you've read a book before you'll know what at least a few of these characters stories will be from the chapter one description of them. They won't
do anything that surprises you. And older lady characters will keep saying "I'd never thought of
that!" despite you thinking of it the second you read about her character. This audiobook has a full
cast, but I thought they were pretty mediocre too. Overall just real disappointed!