sareidle's Reviews (180)

I'm unsure who this book was written for? Even Christopher Moore says in the afterword that anyone who knows the Bible well won't read this, and the readers of Lamb don't know scripture. The story has a lot of crass and raunchy humor, and Biff is a sleazeball. Yes, parts of the story need some humor to lighten the mood, but the bad jokes and sexual innuendos were constant. I got bored between the second and third wise man, but I felt I needed to finish reading because I borrowed the paperback from a friend.

Please listen to Overdue's take on Lamb (episode 394) rather than reading the 444 pages of this book yourself. They highlight all of the humor and fun of the book in an hour.

Great pacing, strong thesis, and an overall engrossing read! The combination of linguistics and cults / high-control groups fascinates me, and I feel I learned a lot without being bogged down with the technicalities. While I have read up on Scientology, I was surprised by just how alien (pun intended) the sample conversation between two Scientologists sounded to me. It was a great example of how the jargon and unique vocabulary of high-control groups isolate members from society at large.

What a sweet and cozy read! The book is structured into short stories based on individual cat pairings, so it doesn't need to be completed in one sitting. The cats have unique personalities and very creative ways of helping their humans heal and form stronger relationships.

Overall, I like Suzanne's intention in writing this book and how the Capitol's edited presentation of the games gave room to explore what Haymitch actually did to earn such a brutal punishment from President Snow. As others have mentioned, the Quarter Quell having twice as many tributes made it harder to connect with the characters and keep track of the Career versus Newcomer alliance members. However, I did connect with Ampert and Maysilee through Haymitch's eyes, and I especially enjoyed Maysilee's character growth. 

A bit repetitive about the setup of the games, which most readers should be familiar with, and how all Haymitch wants to do is spend time with Lenore Dove. Also, the cameos of characters from the original trilogy were heavy-handed and not always necessary. I'm looking forward to the movie adaptation - here's hoping for Kiefer Sutherland as President Snow and Cooper Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee!

A pleasant listen full of laughs, tears, and lessons learned. The time jumps from one story to the next were a bit hard to follow, but I liked that it didn't follow the typical memoir structure.

To be honest, I didn't fully grasp the schema theory and some of the psychology presented in this book. I did walk away with a better understanding of why narcissists are the way they are. One of my friends exhibits narcissist traits and I was taking her put-downs and dismissals of my words to heart. Now I know that she is trying to protect herself from showing any vulnerability and wants to deflect any critical attention away from herself and onto me. I'm not sure what the future of our friendship looks like, but I feel equipped to protect my own mental and emotional well-being moving forward.

Dolly Parton is such a treasure and I enjoyed hearing about the stories behind some of her biggest hits and most meaningful songs. I felt that the book could use more structure - whether chronologically or thematically - so it was sometimes hard to piece together the sequence of her career. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, but felt more like sitting down with a relative than a proper memoir.

I first heard of this book as the topic of an episode of the Overdue podcast. In episode 324, Andrew and Craig welcome Christina and Kamille of The Unfriendly Black Hotties. Christina and Kamille retell the story in such a fun and fast-paced way that I was hoping to experience better through reading the book.

While there are some darkly funny moments in Hex, such as comparing the witch's behavior to an old Windows operating system, I was honestly a bit bored while reading. Yes, the descriptions of violence and bodily harm to the residents and the witch were grotesque. But I was not scared to fall asleep or anything, and I am very jumpy when watching horror films. The concept of a town that has to keep a witch's curse secret in the 21st-century and the struggle of teenagers to accept that they are stuck in this town forever is compelling and unique. Additionally, the central characters of Robert Grimm, Griselda Holst, and Steve Grant had interesting motivations and I could understand their decisions. But the story still didn't feel fleshed out to me and I was left wanting more.

The cover of this caught my eye among the Hoopla Bonus Borrows, and I am so grateful that I made time to listen to Sasha's essays. I felt that I could visualize her upbringing on the reservation and her move to Seattle as a young adult. While I don't share the same background as Sasha, it was easy to walk in her shoes and tap in to the emotions and relationship dynamics she portrays. Sasha is a wonderful and talented writer, and I am eager to read more of her work!