2019: The biggest downfall here is that I have not read The Odyssey, and therefore had no idea many of the relationships between the characters. Although Miller did a good job of establishing familial ties during the story, there were many nuances that I was unable to pick up on, not having any of the backstory until it was too late. This didn't make me enjoy reading this book, and for that, I cannot give more than 3 stars.

2019: Melinda Gates has been an inspiration to me for a long time now, and she does not disappoint in this book. She is a role model for white women to be allies, for feminists to demand support from their husbands (as well as providing it to them), and for how the wealthiest can be of the most service to the poorest. Looking forward to what she does next and to continue to learn from her example.

2019: A very interesting take on a very specific possibility, but the specificity is what makes it believable and what Kingsolver is best at. I was engrossed in the story and cheered for the characters the whole time, so I was extremely disappointed by the ambiguous ending. I found myself underlining a lot in this book; per usual, Kingsolver is both poetic and prolific.

2019: I devoured this book. It’s gripping, intense, thought provoking, and a fantastic mystery that I wasn’t sure about until the very final page of the book. Kya is an incredible main character, an abandoned and challenging girl who grows up to be a strong and extremely capable woman. I loved following her journey and learning about her world.

2019: Just blah. How on earth did this win a Pulitzer!?

2018: Never before have I been so invested and so gripped by a story that I knew the ending of. This is a phenomenal piece of work that literally had me holding my breath for a good portion of it. A thrilling and engaging reading experience!

2018: This was a horrendous book. Don’t waste your time on it. Someone making some bad choices in their life does not mean they also deserve to be abused. There was some strange justice system going on in this world and even stranger logic. Also 75% of the book just describes the abuse of this terrible man or the lies & cons of the gold-digging mistress attempting to break up a marriage. Could have been ten times better without any of the Amber section and getting everyone on Team Daphne from the beginning.

2018: - ⭐️ for not passing the Bechdel Test

2018: Interesting material, not very well written, and I’m saying that despite her having a stroke

2018: I don’t say this often, but I greatly enjoyed the movie over this book. Honestly, Elio is one of the most melodramatic and fake characters/narrators and it was supremely difficult not to scoff at nearly everything he said and did. The movie did a much better job of showing Elio’s bravado while hiding his true feelings, and encompassed the relationship between the two much more realistically.

I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook tho, if just to spend 5 hours listening to incredible human Armie Hammer.