Listened on audio and sometimes struggled to keep my attention on this story. I loved Ward's use of mythology and the extended metaphors that Esch reflects on throughout the novel.

I loved this return to The Wayward Children series. The fourth installment, this book takes place first chronologically and tells the backstory of Lundy, a more minor character from Every Heart a Doorway. This story can very easily be read on its own, and I'm actually glad I'd forgotten almost everything about Lundy from her first appearance, because otherwise I'd have somewhat known the outcome of the book (in the natural way of prequels)⁣
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Lundy's story is gorgeous and heartbreaking in the best Seanan McGuire of ways, with thoughtful prose and content. I'm honestly just so glad to be living in a world where McGuire is writing fiction. There was a point where I thought I knew where things were going, but I expected too little and my expectations were soundly dashed. Highly recommend this book and series as a whole. ⁣

Definitely my new favorite Toni Morrison novel to date. I love how Morrison weaves together stories, no detail is superfluous but yet so many are unexpected and contextualize the main narrative with a broader picture of the world. This novel covers many themes but especially powerfully muses on where we come from and foundational stories. And it was so suspenseful!

Angels in America was really not at all what I was expecting, although I didn’t have very well defined expectations and couldn’t describe them to you now. It weaves together the narratives of a small cast of characters, and tackles a lot of topics, with the AIDS crisis, the homophobic political climate, and religion at the forefront. Completely emotionally captivating and creatively staged, it’s no wonder this play became such a sensation and a classic. ⁣⁣

I was floored by how much I enjoyed this book. In the way of most contemporary fiction, I can’t easily articulate why I enjoyed this book. I found myself immersed in the drama of the Belsey family, and loved watching the dynamics play out between the characters. This was a family which felt fully realized in all their love for each other and history and flaws. Smith shines in her portrayal of not only what makes each character tick, but the way their lives fit alongside one another and everything which influences the state of their relationships to each other.

This is a gorgeously rendered, and dynamically exciting and dramatic story of a family in flux. Though heavily focused on the characters, the plot of this novel clips along, dropping bombshells that will leave no one unchanged. I can't wait to read more Zadie Smith.

Loved! In this volume the action zips along, and the past and present twine together to answer many of the reader’s burning questions. And of course, the art continues to be achingly beautiful.

In this work of ‘autobiographical fiction’, the narrator describes her childhood in a monologue to a doctor, who is presumably some sort of therapist. She describes the vision problems she was born with, the environment of her home life, and her experience feeling like an outsider. As she charts her life story, she discusses her mental state, her fears about her sanity, and questions how her experiences and her parents’ choices have formed her into the person she is. While capturing the arc of her life, she interrogates her evolving comfort within the physical and mental space of her body, and creates closure for herself in her understanding of herself.

Deeply meaningful and resonant to me personally, this book will be a re-read for me for sure, joining the ranks of books which I turn over in my mind, and fold into my heart to keep with me for the long haul. Highly recommend this thoughtful story for a moment you want to spend musing on the stories we tell ourselves and that make up who we are.

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I loved reading this book, which made me laugh out loud often, and which I’m sure contains much richness I missed in the first reading. Definitely a book that I can see myself rereading with an eye towards researching the references I’m missing, but the first pass was a thought provoking delight.

Wynbrandt’s self-deprecating sense of humor is a delight. I laughed and cringed alongside her sexual misadventures, which she writes about from her past, present, and in her imagined future. Her fantasies veer towards the outlandish and absurd, envisioning herself getting a makeover from her fairy godmother Kim Kardashian, or in bed with a robot in the far future. There’s an arc where she tries to find a cat to mentor her in the vein of Sailor Moon, encounters a horrible group of cats drawn with disturbing human faces, and things just get more wild from there.

This collection is just as poignant as it is ridiculous, and Wyndbrandt’s depiction of herself - with all the conflicting confidence and self doubt that wars within women - felt right on. It was a treat to read about this person whose stories were so unlike my own, and yet whose spirit on display made me smile and feel seen.