yourbookishbff's Reviews (650)

I'm glad I read this! Some of the ideas were repeated frequently throughout, but it brings a necessary perspective to environmental science and, more broadly, colonial science and research practices. I can see this being particularly valuable for those working in the sciences today, as the author's discussions on the colonial framework that built conservation and environmental justice movements is a meaningful challenge to contemporary liberal thinking. This is also a helpful read for those (like me!) who are more familiar with North American Indigenous history and writing, as the author's commentary on the political history of Central America and the genocide of Central American Indigenous communities challenge readers to deconstruct our assumptions about "Latinidad." I enjoyed the narration by Stacy Gonzalez and would recommend audio to other readers.

This was a reread, and my enjoyment only improved from my first read! The first half of this series-start is very character-driven, and readers should be prepared for a lot of world and character building. The mystery plot takes off in the second half, and its conclusion can be a bit confusing given the wide cast of characters. That said, I loved revisiting Charlotte's launch into the world, and you can't beat narration by Kate Reading. 

I loved this! This is part of the Remixed Classics series and spins the story of Treasure Island to highlight the real historical influence of China's renowned female pirate Zheng Yi Sao (familiar to readers of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea). Sea adventures, sapphic pining, betrayal and revenge and lots of family drama and twists. This was perfect on audio, and even included a narrated author's note and language note (these are read by the author). The author tells the story of their mother's flight from Vietnam on a refugee ship boarded by pirates. And they take such great care to address their language choices throughout. This was so much fun.

This is my favorite installment in Caroline Linden's Scandals series so far, which is a feat, given how much I loathed this male main character in the previous book! This accomplished everything I look for in a marriage of convenience, where our main characters are reluctant but optimistic and infatuated, and have to traverse physical and emotional intimacy in tandem following the wedding. I also love the micro trope of he proposed to her sister/family member first. This is a bit rivals to lovers as well, but rivals solely because her heart is bruised and she resents him - he never truly dislikes her. 

I thought this was well-paced, with our marriage occurring around the halfway point and a steady build into the third act crisis. We have clear villains in this story, and I appreciated the continuation of the Earl's story arc from the previous book. I was also grateful that we didn't fully resolve our mystery, as it sets up the next book, but still achieved a secure happily ever after for the main characters.

I would also note that this is the hottest book so far, with a lot more on page intimacy inspired by our infamous Lady Constance. I was anxious through the entire wedding night, as I don't enjoy alcohol use during initial intimacy, particularly with an inexperienced female main character, but ultimately felt they were not intoxicated to a point that they were unable to consent - I note this, though, because this could cause similar anxiety for other readers and others may feel differently/come to a different conclusion than I did in this scene.

I really struggled with book two's narrator and was so relieved to have a different narrator for this installment (Beverly Crick). 

The Country of the Blind was an excellent mix of non-fiction, history, cultural exploration, personal reflection and commentary. It is a liminal memoir, as the author documents the pivot of his life between sighted and blind, and asks more questions than it answers - when does one become blind, what does it mean to transition away from visual sense and memory, how do our relationships change with disability, how does the world understand the capabilities of blind and low-vision folks and how do blind and low-vision folks want the world to understand. 

I appreciated, in particular, the author's vulnerability in confronting his own internalized ableism alongside the ableism he and other blind folks experience in a predominantly sighted culture day-to-day. He has a unique entry point into community with other blind folks, and reflects at length on the slow progression of his blindness and how that keeps him between worlds indefinitely.

I particularly enjoyed The Makers chapter, learning about blind creatives and inventors and the many technologies (audiobooks, OCR, epub, and more) we owe to blind folks. As a sighted reader, I was fascinated to learn about the early history of audiobooks in particular, and appreciated how these historical reflections segwayed into accessibility tools and devices today. It's a direct reminder, too, that today's companies often invest in accessibility technology not out of a sense of altruism, but because they know they can apply them to broader uses, and we ignore their original use and intention as we adapt these technologies to the non-disabled.

The audiobook is narrated by the author, and I highly recommend the audio.

After struggling with the journal structure in book one, I switched to audio for book two, and that made all the difference. The narration helped the journal style to feel more natural, and Elle Potter conveyed so much personality for each character that I felt far more invested in the story (and I finally felt like I had a sense of Emily!). I could always tell when we moved to a footnote (bonus points to Potter, she always made it distinct!) and the moments of self awareness (and the moments of obfuscation) felt so much more obvious to me this time. 

This series is the definition of cozy fantasy. While we have violence and injury (and mortal peril) the circumstances are so fantastic that they never feel truly dark. I loved seeing the relationship between Emily and Wendell deepen in this book, and so enjoyed their partnership throughout. This is closed door romance with such sweetness and sincerity, and I just loved it. 

I loved the Narnia-esque moments in this installment, and the light comedy of our obsessively clean and tidy Wendell and ink-stained Emily. Of course he's a cat person (IYKYK). And the setting (the Alps!) was so fun. An expectedly surreal and raucous third act, and a perfect conclusion to set up our next adventure.

This is my least favorite of Quincy's romances I've read so far, but I think it's primarily because I struggled to feel true emotional connection (beyond physical infatuation) between the main characters. The rapid transitions between arguing with each other and fantasizing about each other felt forced, and I felt like we didn't have enough banter or even just conversation in the first half to support the eventual relationship. 

My favorite element in any Quincy romance is the female main character's profession - she always writes interesting and unique backgrounds and career interests for the women in her stories - and Raya is no exception. I wanted more insight into Raya's family dynamics, though, and more development for her as she establishes her own path. 

The murder mystery felt like it intruded unexpectedly at times and affected the pacing for me a bit as well. 

I read this via audio and would note it is dual narration. I loved the narrator for Raya's POV, Venah Assadourian, but didn't enjoy the narrator for Strick, Timothy Campbell. The two narrations also felt like they were produced differently? It was a bit jarring each time we transitioned, as the sound quality was noticeably different. 

In the Dream House felt so reminiscent to me of Children of the Land, in that both memoirs are non-linear and episodic, weaving truth abstractly to allow for a retelling of significant trauma. The use of horror devices - and the eery symbolism of the dream house - underscore the constant suspense and fear Machado experienced within an abusive relationship with her female partner. Her narrative creates new space for accounting trauma within queer relationships, and she incorporates historical discussions of intimate partner abuse in queer relationships and research into its prevalence. 

This narrative structure also helps the reader understand the slow boil of abuse and sheds light on the ways people wield power within relationships. It is a heart wrenching examination of the isolation, emotional manipulation, bullying and gaslighting of emotional abuse in particular. I also really appreciated the reflections on language and pop culture (the origin story of the term gaslighting was new to me and fascinating).

This is a horrifying and beautifully written memoir that will resonate with those who appreciate nonlinear reflections. I particularly loved the use of second person to address her younger self, and the simultaneous distance and intimacy this created for her as she examines this part of her life. 

I would also note that the audiobook is narrated by Machado and I highly recommend this format.

A perfect novella. I cried with alternating anger and frustration and hope the entire second half. Milan manages to accomplish significant character development and growth for both main characters in this second-chance romance, and shows us how two people heal themselves and reconcile after deeply wounding each other. I so appreciated Daisy's commitment to herself and her dream, and Milan's commitment to making her happily ever after more than an accepted marriage proposal. Daisy and Crash deserve every good thing, and I'm so grateful Milan took the time to give us this story. 

Also! Our male main character is openly bi and the conflict isn't remotely related to his sexuality. Five stars hardly feels like enough.

Note: this should be read after the first book in the Worth Saga (Once Upon a Marquess). 

This was a perfect conclusion to the series. All the threads of our mystery are entangled within our now-expanded cast of characters. It's a joy to have all three couples together for this final installment, and the sense of found family sets this apart in the trilogy. 

And first, I have to note how much I LOVED this audio production and narration by Josh Dylan. I would highly recommend this entire series on audio, but I particularly enjoyed this one. 

This romance has a harder edge than any of our others, but also resulted in perhaps the most heartfelt declarations of the series. Role playing scenarios from Alan's erotic stories allows Alan and Hawthorne to navigate the class difference and power imbalance inherent to their relationship. Consent is well-navigated, with both establishing boundaries within scenarios and ways of withdrawing consent. I felt it was really well done, and allowed both characters to be vulnerable within a protected space as they begin revealing themselves to each other. 

And the mystery! I loved that in each installment we get a new piece of the history of The Last Contract. In this, we get a deeper dive into the fae bargain with England's magicians, the ley lines, and magic houses (These! Magic! Houses!). I loved how this expands the world and magic system even further, and I thoroughly enjoyed every twist. 

This is a book about mending and tending, and I absolutely adored it.