skudiklier's Reviews (647)

I read this after hearing an interview with the author on Vanessa Zoltan's podcast, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm definitely going to be reading more in the series! 

"By participating in ableism, we participate in the devaluation of all humanity."

This book is a must-read for anyone, but especially for nondisabled people. It's half memoir, half critical analysis, but all things that need to be said. If you're unsure why ableism in media can be harmful, how disability looks different for different people, what reason disabled people might have to fear the police--Elsa Sjunneson covers it all. This book made me so frustrated and upset at points, but it points out just how much change is needed (with a focus on the United States, because that's what the author has experience with). 

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and Elsa Sjunneson for the chance to review this ARC.

This is a lovely book! It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I found so much to appreciate. I told myself going in I wouldn't take any notes, but then some lines and essays were so good I couldn't help it. I also really want to read more of his poetry! 

Wooow this is amazing. I always love Silas's work and this chapbook is no exception. Absolutely stunning. There were a couple lines/stanzas/poems that I loved so much I immediately ran to write them down in my notes on TSG. Highly recommend reading this!!

I absolutely loved this book! Normally with Jane Austen it's hard not to compare everything to Pride and Prejudice; and though I still love P&P more of course, this is the first of her other novels that I felt could really hold up! It's lovely, and I highlighted so many lines, and I got through the last two thirds of the book in just two days. There were points at which I really didn't know how it would end or what would happen, which seems rare in romance. I really loved this book. 

Very funny, 10/10 humor. If you find Maureen Johnson's tweets funny (and like, why wouldn't you), then you will love Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village.

It's a fairly quick read, as it's not too long and it's filled with lovely art. I really like the writing style; it reminds me of Lemony Snicket in a lot of ways (but again, this book is very Maureen Johnson, through and through).

There were several lines I wrote down because I liked the way they sounded, or I wanted to use them as poem inspiration, stuff like that. It's also a book that rewards you for paying closer attention—some names were referenced at one point, and I almost didn't scroll back to see who they were, but the joke was even funnier once I did.

The ending is FANTASTIC. I wasn't sure how a book like this could have a good ending, but it was entirely satisfying.

And for readers who love any book that begins with a map: this book begins with a map.

Once again, Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village is delightful and perfectly funny. I devoured it in a single day and I'm sure you'll do the same.

Thank you to Netgalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, and Maureen Johnson for the chance to review this ARC. 

This chapbook is amazing!! I can't form coherent sentences I can only scream!! 

He writes about queerness and California and poetry and a million other things and I'm obsessed with it all. 

Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite poets of all time. When starting this collection, I was a bit worried that I was going in with too high of expectations, that I hadn't read one of his new poems in a while and maybe nothing could hold up to the ideal in my head. But wow, regardless of my high expectations, Akbar surpassed them here. Pilgrim Bell is easily one of the best books of poetry I have ever read. 

I took notes on nearly every individual poem while reading this book, and I don't know where to begin trying to share them. Some similar words and images running throughout the collection work so well, better than I'm used to things like that feeling in other poetry books. It also didn't take long for me to think "damn, I need to buy this book myself so that I can reread this later." 

I was also glad and surprised to see "Forfeiting My Mystique" included here; that is one of my top five favorite poems of all time. It's the first thing I ever read by Kaveh Akbar and I immediately knew I wanted to read everything he would ever write. Several lines of it have stuck in my head for years, and I couldn't forget them if I tried. Interestingly to me, he changed the last stanza from the original piece. His new ending is good of course, and I'm sure he had good reason to do so; but the original ending was so good, and it's one of the parts I never forgot, so I couldn't help being slightly disappointed to see it changed here. 

(Seriously though, go read "Forfeiting My Mystique." I know it's long but it's so so so worth it.)

I have no idea what to say about this book. Kaveh Akbar is one of the best poets ever, and the more I read from him the more I am convinced of this. As a poet myself, there's no one I wish I could write like more than him. I would recommend this collection to anyone who likes poetry at all in any way. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Graywolf Press for the chance to review this ARC.

This is surely Makenzie Campbell's best collection yet; the journey she takes you on is so beautiful. 

There are a wide array of emotions and types of poetry in this book, and it's not all about romantic love or heartbreak by any means. However, I did want to say that in general, I don't find much heartbreak poetry relatable or interesting, because there is so much of it and I have never gone through a real breakup. But somehow in this collection Campbell makes me feel it, as if it's really happening to me, and it makes my heart ache. 

I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this book; thank you to Netgalley and a Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to review this ARC. 

I liked this book, and there were some stunning poems in this collection. But to be honest overall I didn't like it as much as I thought I would? Maybe my expectations were just too high, or maybe I just waited too long to read it. But four stars is pretty accurate to how I felt about it.