Someone else had it reserved on Libby, will be returning to it!

A really well written verse novel about fatphobia and bullying. I thought the events in the book were pretty unrealistic but the authors note in the back says these are things that actually happened which was very shocking. I can’t imagine these things happening to an 11 year old. I loved watching Eli gain confidence through encouragement from her therapist. I think the advice from her therapist will be beneficial for other girls who are insecure about their weight to read about. I feel like there were some loose ends with her brother and sister and fatdar was pretty cringe.

This book was very interesting to read. The characters were very intelligent and had unique conversations. Sometimes I felt like things were going over my head but I enjoyed it. There are many flashbacks of when Elisabeth was younger and her friendship with Mr. Gluck and I liked the dual perspectives. Occasionally Mr. Gluck or Elisbeth would say something that was a bit shocking and never explained and that kept you questioning the details of their relationship. I can’t wait to read the next one!

I found Zakaria's writing style very engaging and thought there was a good balance of personal stories and information. Her stories from inside feminist organizations were very impactful and shocking. It was fascinating to read about how capitalism changed the definition of empowerment and also made feminism about the self-made woman, being financially independent, and joining the work force. Zakaria also talked about colonization and white women "saving" the women from other countries because the way white women live is the "norm" and trying to show them that monogamy is the "right way" and the only way to have relationships. I could go on, this was a very good read and I very highly recommend it! I hope to be more aware of how I take up space in feminist spaces and pay attention to who is in the room and who benefits from the decisions made in those spaces.

This was such a fun read! I loved following Viv as she got her cafe together and introduced people to coffee. I liked seeing Vivs struggle to not return to her old ways of violence when conflicts came up. The little slow burn romance was super cute and I loved Thimble. The community of people that helped Viv was so heartwarming. The ending was fantastic. 

So much information! This book gives a very detailed history about rebellions that happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a little bit repetitive sometimes and sometimes the timeline got a bit confusing. It was interesting to learn about the different towns and how the rebellions played out in each of them and then about the similarities between rebellions then and now. Its infuriating that cities get people to tell them how to solve the problem and then nothing is done except giving more money to the police which obviously isn’t helping solve the problems the Black Americans are facing and then then the cycle repeats. It was great to be reminded that many of these rebellions are started by young people, like very young people. Some of the protesters were as young as 11.

Haunting, that perfectly describes this book. Readers learn about Mary and her life in this graphic novel in verse and darkly illustrated visuals. The combination of poem and drawings on some of the pages gave me chills, which is to say they worked really well together and one didn’t distract from the other. The books spends a lot of time on moments in Marys life that would inspire her creation and I loved that. I very much enjoyed reading this and felt like I learned so much about Mary, not only what happened but what she could have been feeling through it all.

I’ve only read one of Morrisons other books before this one. It was different for me to grasp the bigger themes but I liked hearing the background of multiple characters. There was a certain paragraph about the children's mothers I liked too, something about how she would hit them with one hand and steal for them with the other. The ending made me feel sick.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Vivi and Rhys relationship was cute and I liked their banter. The open door spicy scenes were well written. I felt like their was a good balance of the relationship plot and the actual plot of them trying to fix the curse. I wish that the magic had been explained more and Rhys had owned up more to his role in the breakup. Rhys strained relationship with his dad also felt like a loose end. But the rest of the book was cute and a great cozy Halloween read!

Incredible book of essays about feminism in the 21st century. She offers nuance on topics of student-teacher relationships, the porn industry, and the criminalization vs decriminalization of prostitution. I highlighted so many different passages and quotes. I am absolutely buying this collection!