whatskatiereading's Reviews (521)

PUNCH ME UP TO THE GODS is a raw, powerful memoir by Brian Broome. The book is written in sections that jump between Broome‘s present-day thoughts as he sits on the public transit and essays that flash back to his childhood in Northeast Ohio and his 20s in Pittsburgh. I was excited to read the book to learn about Broome, but to also learn about his experience living in both Northeast Ohio and Pittsburgh. My life experiences are vastly different from Broome’s, but having grown up in Northeast Ohio and living in Pittsburgh since starting college I was interested in learning about the places I have lived through someone else’s perspective.

Broome’s writing, especially in his descriptions of Pittsburgh’s gay bars, was fantastic. I felt like I could picture the bars and their patrons clearly in my mind. It was also interesting to have a frame of reference to know neighborhoods and bar locations when he mentioned them. I know that wasn’t a central part of the story, but it added to my reading experience. One of my favorite essays was the one written from his mother’s perspective. I loved seeing Broome’s interpretation of what he thought she was going through right next to his memories of her. Broome’s struggles to find his footing in the Black community as a gay man, but then also not fully fitting into the gay community as a black man was heartbreaking to read about. While this book is heavy, I’m really glad I read it and will be recommending it to others as well. Thank you BookishFirst and HMH for the ARC. 

I’m not sure where to begin with SWITCH. The premise of the book was really interesting to me, but I feel like aspects of the book were kind of over my head. In the book, time has stopped for about a year. Life is continuing to move on despite time being stopped, but teens and adults alike are trying to figure out a solution to keep order and keep society moving. Amidst this crisis we have a teenager named Truda who throws javelin and is trying to figure out why her father is protecting a switch in their home by building boxes around it. Throughout the book, Truda removes nails from the boxes that her father builds in an attempt to find her way to the switch.

I felt so lost reading this book. I understand the themes the author was going for, comparing the time crisis in the book to the real life pandemic we are all living through. SWITCH made me think about the ways that, as a society, we often burden our youngest to come up with solutions to problems that older generations have made worse (things like climate change come to mind). The book had hints of magical realism and lots of symbolism, so if that’s your jam I think you would enjoy this one. SWITCH was a very unique read that was a little difficult for me to fully grasp, but it’s a super short read that I would encourage people to check out if it sounds interesting to you!  Thank you BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for the finished copy.

I went into FINDING FREEDOM knowing nothing about Erin French or The Lost Kitchen. By the time I finished the book I was planning my trip to Freedom, Maine in my head, trying to figure out what my odds are of being selected to dine at The Lost Kitchen.

FINDING FREEDOM takes us through Erin French’s life.  From her childhood helping her dad in his diner, to her cozy apartment dinner parties, her first restaurant, battles with addiction, a rocky divorce, and finally her famous restaurant The Lost Kitchen.  If you enjoy food, I would highly recommend this book.  French is very descriptive and I felt like I could smell and taste the food she was describing.  It’s clear through her writing that she is extremely passionate about creating good, hearty, fresh meals and creating an atmosphere that allows for friends and family to bond over meals.  I especially enjoyed the last couple of chapters that talk about the atmosphere and staff of The Lost Kitchen.  The primarily female-run, cozy restaurant is now on my bucket list of places to go.  In addition to food, French dives into heavy topics like addiction, divorce, abuse, and being a single mother.  This book has so many different layers and I enjoyed learning about this remarkable woman.  Thank you BookishFirst and Celadon Books for the ARC!