I really liked this memoir about binge eating disorder and anti-fat bias in society overall. Emma Specter does a great job of writing about her struggI really liked this memoir about binge eating disorder and anti-fat bias in society overall. Emma Specter does a great job of writing about her struggles with binge eating in a way that feels real and raw without glorifying the disorder. My sense is that many eating disorder memoirs focus on more of the restrictive/anorexic side of disordered eating, so it’s refreshing – though of course sad and harrowing – to read about Specter’s journey. At the same time, I appreciated and resonated with her hard-won path toward self-acceptance and coming to cherish her body. From following and learning from fat influencers to figuring out what types of movement make her feel good about herself, Specter includes a lot of wisdom in these pages. She acknowledges the intersections of anti-fat bias and anti-Black racism, as well as other forms of oppression too.
On a writing level I don’t think this was the perfect memoir. Sometimes the blend of memoir and interviewing other people didn’t always read spectacularly, and Specter does use a fair amount of long sentences (something I think I can tend towards too, so…) Still, as someone who’s had an eating disorder in the past and is intentional about my recovery and relationship with food every day, it’s nice to read about another person’s healing journey, amidst all the societal anti-fat bs....more
I loved this book despite its imperfections. It contains powerful writing from Sloane Crosley about her grief process after one of her closes4.5 stars
I loved this book despite its imperfections. It contains powerful writing from Sloane Crosley about her grief process after one of her closest friends died by suicide. There’s so much sad honesty in these pages, about missing her friend, feeling angry at the world, about time passing and your person still being gone. I liked that she shines a spotlight on grieving a close friend given that grief in media is often portrayed centering a nuclear family member or romantic partner. Crosley’s prose overall impressed me – from the first page she jumps right into the action and I was hooked until the very end. I read this whole book in one afternoon.
There were a few passages in this book that took it to the five-star level for me, passages that captured grief in such a poignant and real way. There’s one passage about grief being like holding a vase and not having anywhere to put it down that made me cry. And the last few pages made me bawl. I loved these parts of the book and they felt so affirming to me in my own grief processes, that sometimes grief just is and you have to find a way to keep living even with the pain.
I want to be honest about what I perceive as some of the book’s faults, a minor one and then a more major one. First, I think at times Crosley’s prose read as a bit intellectualized to me, when she could’ve added even more detail about the friendship or her or her friend’s background. Second, I took some issue with how she wrote about Russell’s problematic behavior. I do think it’s important that she named the parts of her friend that weren’t ideal or that were problematic; I love not idealizing people who’ve passed away. Yet, some of her writing about his problematic behavior almost came across as making excuses for it. There’s one passage where she writes about the younger generation wanting to engage in activism and sublimating that desire through calling out their problematic bosses and I was like… uh people can both address structural inequality through broader actions and also call out harassment in the workplace? Basically, I feel she could’ve more directly just owned the fact that her friend engaged in problematic/harassing behavior instead of, in my view, dancing around it or overwriting about it. This could’ve even led to deeper exploration of what it’s like for privileged people (because her friend was a white man) to lose power or to get called out for harmful things they used to not get called out for.
Anyway, despite my quibbles about Grief is for People I loved the book and was deeply moved by it. Grief is so important to me personally and professionally and I’m heartened by this book’s addition to the grief canon....more
Pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book! When We Were Friends follows Fern, who was best friends with Jessica when they were in hPleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book! When We Were Friends follows Fern, who was best friends with Jessica when they were in high school. They shared their deepest and darkest secrets with one another, slept over at each other’s places and had fun silly times together, and talked about school and boys and their parents. But Jessica did something that betrayed Fern’s trust so Fern cut her off. Ten years later, Fern works as a writer and an aspiring mental health counselor, when Jessica reemerges out of the blue. They start to rekindle their friendship, but can Fern trust Jessica after what happened in their shared past?
I will start with some of what I didn’t like about the book before moving onto the positives. I found the writing style kind of clunky, especially the first 50% or so of the book – the characters’ jokes felt a bit forced, some dialogue came across as awkward, and I couldn’t really fully immerse myself in Holly Bourne’s prose. I was definitely leaning toward three stars for a large portion of my reading experience.
But, around the 65% mark, something about this book really clicked for me. Part of it I think was the suspense of whether Fern and Jessica would be able to actually form a friendship again. I also felt like Bourne’s writing came across as more authentic in the latter half of the book. Finally, several of the book’s themes came together toward the end. Throughout the novel Fern is obsessed with the male gaze and what men think of her, and there’s also an emphasis throughout the novel of the casual violence and degrading ways boys and men treat women. While the delivery of those ideas didn’t feel 100% skilled in the first half of the book, Bourne really did make the feminist commentary about sexual violence and female friendship come through by the end of the novel. I was impressed by how she wrote about Fern and Jessica’s friendship and the ways they were both able to mature and grow.
Overall, if the story sounds interesting to you I’d recommend. I think there could have been a bit more unpacking of the male gaze theme (something that is unfortunately super prevalent in the gay male scene too), though I respect and appreciate Bourne’s overall commitment to her feminist message in this novel. Other friendship-focused novels I’ve liked included When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk and We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding!...more
What a messy, entertaining, yet sometimes quite deep book! I liked this novel about three white gay men more than I thought I would. Ways and Means foWhat a messy, entertaining, yet sometimes quite deep book! I liked this novel about three white gay men more than I thought I would. Ways and Means follows Allistair McCabe, a young, conventionally attractive gay college student who’s goal is to get a lot of money. But when his ambitious plans for a high-rolling banking job don’t work out, he turns to shady work for an enigmatic billionaire who’s motivations are much darker than they may initially seem. Meanwhile, Allistair’s lovers, an older couple named Mark and Elijah, are facing troubles of their own – Mark is at the end of his trust fund and takes a job with his father’s immoral business, and Elijah turns to similarly unsavory work to keep himself afloat amidst his failing relationship with Mark. These three men’s lives twist and intertwine in searing, sexual, and fearsome ways that eventually come to a satisfying climax.
What I liked most about this book was its commentary about growing up poor and intergenerational financial trauma. I skimmed an interview from Daniel Lefferts awhile ago and it seems that he wrote Allistair’s perspective at least a bit from his own experience of not having much money growing up. I found Allistair’s obsession with money – especially in the context of his father’s death and witnessing his mother’s poverty – well-written and emotionally convincing. I also enjoyed how Allistair, Mark, and Elijah all grew as characters. Even though I did find Lefferts’s writing a bit intellectualized at times, to me each of these characters did have a well-earned and meaningful development arc.
I also found the plot and the writing rather thrilling (and even downright scary) in parts. I don’t really see anyone pegging this book as a thriller and I probably wouldn’t either, though there was a suspense element that kept me on my toes. Lefferts’s writing is high quality enough that I felt immersed in the story. I rolled my eyes a bit at the preponderance of messaging about fit, athletic, slim bodies, though I suppose that this messaging was realistic given the intense body dysmorphia and fatphobia in the gay male community.
Overall, I didn’t love this book, but I did enjoy it and think it has interesting themes related to class and queerness. I’m curious what my book club will think!...more
A cute and pleasant story about two queer siblings in New Zealand figuring out their love lives. I liked the thoughtful representation of OCD, the porA cute and pleasant story about two queer siblings in New Zealand figuring out their love lives. I liked the thoughtful representation of OCD, the portrayal of a wholesome sibling dynamic, and some deeper commentary about how past generations affect the present. I didn’t love the story because I found the writing style hard to get into. First, I felt like Greta’s perspective was almost trying too hard to come across as Fleabag-esque and quirky, which pulled me out of the narrative. Also, within the dialogue, there were some really long speaking turns that were either used to convey information or for a character to engage in an in-depth monologue. I also found these elements of the dialogue distracting. Overall, I thought this book was okay but it wouldn’t be the first I’d recommend....more
A moving novella about grief, family, and doing your best to love the people you care about. Our protagonist, Nyokabi, recently lost her brother to suA moving novella about grief, family, and doing your best to love the people you care about. Our protagonist, Nyokabi, recently lost her brother to suicide. She takes a potion to go back in time to when her brother was still alive, complicating the story of his memory and her loss.
I liked the raw themes of regret, sadness, and disconnection/connection in this story. The time-traveling/science-fiction elements didn’t work as well for me and I found them a bit distracting, though it’s been rare for me to deeply enjoy sci-fi nowadays. If you’re into a quick read related to grief perhaps give this one a go....more
Deeply enjoyed the last 150 pages or so of this novel, felt so bored by much of what came before that though. In Good Material we follow 35-y3.5 stars
Deeply enjoyed the last 150 pages or so of this novel, felt so bored by much of what came before that though. In Good Material we follow 35-year-old comedian Andy, who was recently broken up with by his girlfriend. After Jen breaks up with him, Andy struggles in all sense of the word – to find a place to live, to resuscitate his failing stand up career, and to get over Jen at all. We follow him through his meandering messy life post-Jen as he tries to cope with a new fitness regime, a new situationship, and eventually maybe a new perspective on what transpired in his old relationship.
One of my favorite things about this novel was that when I finished it, I had a renewed sense of empathy for my friends going through breakups. Ending relationships, even when it’s the right move, is tough! I thought Dolly Alderton did a great job of honestly portraying the messiness of the post break-up stage.
I really did struggle to get through the first half of this novel though. For the majority of the novel we’re in Andy’s head, then we move to Jen’s for the last bit. Andy… wow. He really was a self-absorbed white man who pitied himself and had little empathy for others. It was hard to get through his perspective and I can’t help but think Alderton wrote his point of view in an intentionally annoying way. I’m still not sure how much of my “eh”-ness about the first half of the novel stemmed from Alderton making Andy intentionally unlikable versus the actual writing quality lacking a bit. The first half felt repetitive to me and I was leaning toward two to three stars max.
But, Andy does grow a little by the end of the novel which was nice to read. And I loved when the perspective shifted to Jen’s point of view. As a more femme gay man/genderqueer person who’s not into the whole get married and have kids thing, I related a lot of Jen’s perspectives and experiences. I also found the writing in Jen’s section fluid and entertaining, while still feeling grounded and convincing.
So, mixed feelings about this one. I wonder if Alderton could have done anything differently to the first half of the novel – maybe actually exploring Andy’s emotions more in-depth like with some of his father stuff? Still, after thinking about it I think I will at some point read more of her work, especially given how people in my Goodreads community seem to be a fan of hers....more
I appreciated Marcie Alvis Walker’s honesty in this essay collection, especially about her experiences growing up as a dark-skinned Black girl. I founI appreciated Marcie Alvis Walker’s honesty in this essay collection, especially about her experiences growing up as a dark-skinned Black girl. I found her writing about beauty interesting, especially the clash between how her mother praised Blackness yet she herself still internalized a lot of white and Eurocentric appearance ideals growing up. I primarily give this essay collection a three-star rating because there were a few instances where Walker would raise an event (e.g., a conflict at her child’s school) though not fully round out or provide details about what had transpired. I was also curious to read more about her difficulty to fully disinvest from beauty/appearance ideals overall (e.g., thinking of what Tressie McMillan Cottom writes about in Thick). Perhaps this read will resonate with those who are searching for narratives about racial trauma, as well as the journey to healing from racial trauma throughout one’s life....more
I liked learning about lesbians throughout history, especially given the erasure of queer romantic love between women. I thought Amelia Possanza did aI liked learning about lesbians throughout history, especially given the erasure of queer romantic love between women. I thought Amelia Possanza did a sufficient job of paying attention to intersecting dynamics of class, race, and queerness when reflecting on these different lesbian narratives. Unfortunately I found the writing style a bit dry and the toggling back and forth between describing history and writing memoir clunky. Read for a book club so we’ll see what others think!...more
This one missed the mark for me. I think that Emily Austin did a decent job of portraying a woman struggling from social anxiety, intrusive thoughts aThis one missed the mark for me. I think that Emily Austin did a decent job of portraying a woman struggling from social anxiety, intrusive thoughts about death, and relationships where she doesn’t open up to people. However, by the end of the novel I didn’t feel like I got a deeper understanding or connection with the main character. I felt like Austin put a lot of effort into making the prose and the protagonist “quirky,” instead of fleshing the protagonist out more deeply. Finally, I felt that some of the prose was heavy/heavy-handed.
I can see how the book may feel relatable to people with anxiety, though. The search for my next five-star read continues!...more
I liked that this book showcased a relationship between two sisters, one of whom struggles with persistent mental illness and suicidal ideation. I feeI liked that this book showcased a relationship between two sisters, one of whom struggles with persistent mental illness and suicidal ideation. I feel that Miriam Toews did a great job highlighting the nuances of loving someone with mental health difficulties, portraying both the genuine care and the negative emotions that may arise. I also appreciated the tenacity of Elf’s character and how Toews conveyed that people who face suicidal ideation and mental illness are full-hearted three-dimensional human beings, and these issues can afflict people who we may perceive as high-functioning or successful.
I primarily give this book three stars because the writing felt a bit forced to me. To me, there was a lack of concision in the writing that took away from the emotional impact of the story. I think if Toews had practiced more restraint on the sentence level, especially with some of her dialogue, I would’ve enjoyed this novel more....more
Ugh, I wanted to love this book because Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Picture Us in the Light and When We Were Infinite are two of my favorite novels evUgh, I wanted to love this book because Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Picture Us in the Light and When We Were Infinite are two of my favorite novels ever, not just of the young-adult genre. I liked elements of Everyone Wants to Know, which follows Honor Lo, one of five siblings of a famous influencer family. The book begins right when Honor’s father announces that he’s moving out of their California home to rent an apartment in Brooklyn, which starts a social media cascade about their once-seemingly-perfect family. Then, one of Honor’s best friends leaks their private conversation to a gossip site. More drama ensues soon after leading Honor to spiral, all while doing her best to reunite her family that keeps feeling more and more fractured.
Starting with what I liked: I think Gilbert did a great job of writing about an influencer family in a way that felt believable. Around the 40-50% mark, I did feel interested in the plot and motivated to find out what would happen next. I also feel like Gilbert portrayed anxiety super well; she has a talent for rendering mental illness in a believable and thoughtful way, as she did in When We Were Infinite. I also enjoyed how both Honor and her mother grew by the end of the book after what felt like a potentially catastrophic lack of growth for most of the novel. Gilbert includes interesting themes related to boundary-setting within families as well as the role of social media in promoting unauthenticity/attention-seeking.
My main dissatisfaction with this novel is that I just didn’t find much to emotionally attach to. I unfortunately didn’t find the plot that engaging until about the 40% mark. Even then, I struggled to develop a connection to Honor or other characters. I think Gilbert has an amazing talent for creating complex plotlines that are emotionally raw and resonant; however, with this novel I felt like there was almost too much going on and not enough focus on a specific set of characters’ relationships. For example, I still remember with When We Were Infinite, Gilbert’s powerful rendering of Beth’s relationship with her friend group, with Jason specifically, and with her family members, and how she captured so much nuance and heart in each of those relationships. However, in this novel I didn’t feel that same spark or magic with Honor and any of the characters around her, even though I did appreciate Honor’s trajectory by the end of the book.
Overall, an okay read that I wish I could have written more positively about. Still rooting for Kelly Loy Gilbert and I’m interested in reading whatever she writes next!...more
Riveting and bleak essays about people and events largely centered in the author’s hometown of Veracruz, Mexico. I appreciated how Fernanda Melchor poRiveting and bleak essays about people and events largely centered in the author’s hometown of Veracruz, Mexico. I appreciated how Fernanda Melchor portrayed gruesome and/or difficult topics such as violence, addiction, and crime without pathologizing an entire group of people; she draws attention to how ineffective government and other social determinants affect people’s behavior. Similar to a lot of the short story collections I read, I unfortunately found it difficult to really immerse myself in these stories, given how brief they were and how sometimes I felt that they more so focused on describing events than digging deep into characters’ psyches. As a character-driven girlie that’s not my preference though I acknowledge it is my preference and not necessarily a fault of the book....more
Unfortunately I found this novel boring. I don’t have much to say – the characters felt uninspired, the writing dull, and the plot/frame device of a nUnfortunately I found this novel boring. I don’t have much to say – the characters felt uninspired, the writing dull, and the plot/frame device of a novel within a novel too clunky for my taste. Check out other negative reviews for extended takes. I’m moving on as quickly as I can to my next read....more
A subtle and moving novel about a young Lebanese woman who flees from war-torn Beirut and finds herself in Quebec, Canada as a single mother. Given thA subtle and moving novel about a young Lebanese woman who flees from war-torn Beirut and finds herself in Quebec, Canada as a single mother. Given that no one in Quebec wants to hire her as a French teacher, she takes a job as a hotline operator at a weight-loss center. After work, at home, she tries to care for her son while they both acclimate to a new country.
Dimitri Nasrallah does a great job of portraying how Muna, our protagonist, takes every effort possible to secure a life for herself and her son Omar. His prose is quiet yet powerful and highlights the pressures Muna face to assimilate to Canadian culture. He also portrays the impact of grief and loss on Muna as she tries to keep everything in her life together for herself and Omar. I found Muna such a resonant protagonist; I’m the son of Vietnamese immigrants to the US so it made me reflect with nuance on my parents’ journey, and I imagine it may pull thoughtful and similar reactions to those with related life experiences. What shines brightest in this book is Muna’s determination to put one step forward and to advance her station in life even when she’s been cruelly knocked down again and again. Hotline is a novel that prioritizes its main character’s growth and resilience over shocking plot events or big dramatic scenes....more
Another great stand-alone fantasy novel by M.L. Wang! Though I didn’t love this one as much as Sword of Kaigen, I still feel that Blood Over BrighAnother great stand-alone fantasy novel by M.L. Wang! Though I didn’t love this one as much as Sword of Kaigen, I still feel that Blood Over Bright Haven has a lot to offer: a compelling dark academia setup, an interesting and well-written magic system, and on-point, well-integrated commentary about sexism and gender. Though the book is somewhat long, I finished it in two days because the prose was so readable and I wanted to know what would happen next.
The main reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because the first half or so of the story felt a tad predictable to me. It came across as almost didactic, and the parallels between a privileged person learning about their privilege from a marginalized person (e.g., I was thinking of a white person learning about their white privilege from a person of color) almost felt too obvious to me. This element of the novel slightly redeemed itself toward the second half when Sciona started to recognize her own problematic behavior and self-correct.
I will say though, the last 20% of Blood Over Bright Haven had me *shaken*. It really saved the novel for me. Things happened that I did not expect though felt so satisfying from a plot and character development perspective. I felt genuinely moved by the characters and their growth. To avoid spoilers, all I’ll say is *that* is how you put your money where your mouth is in terms of allyship, standing with people with less privilege than you, etc. All in all, a solid four-star read....more
A novel that tackles important issues though also felt really frustrating to read at the same time. To start off with the positive, I think Erum ShaziA novel that tackles important issues though also felt really frustrating to read at the same time. To start off with the positive, I think Erum Shazia Hasan addresses important issues related to colonialism, white saviorism, and people’s complicity in those forces even when they are not white. Our protagonist Maya, is a south Asian woman whose colleague, Marc, a white man, is accused of sexually assaulting a local girl in the fictional village of Likanni in an unnamed African nation. I think We Meant Well is a unique story in that it covers the issue of foreign “aid,” and I do think Maya grew in the right direction by the end of the book.
However, I have to say Maya was such a frustrating character to read. She has so much unaddressed internalized racism and complicity in white supremacy, it’s painful to witness. For example, one way she copes with the trauma of witnessing brutal human suffering in Likanni is to marry a rich white man in the United States who literally is a gross “liberal” type who thinks philanthropy is the answer to addressing global poverty, YIKES??? Maya does grow by the end of the novel, thank goodness, though idk, I know I’ve never done foreign aid work so I can’t speak to that experience, but it felt really annoying that basically Maya is in her late 30’s and she’s just now realizing that maybe siding with whiteness and viewing people living in Africa through a paternalistic lens isn’t the right way to go?? Like why didn’t she address any of these issues before she decided to go work in Africa?? I think people who are more sympathetic to her struggle in this area may enjoy this book more because I was just waiting for Maya to improve. Unlike her, the people in this fictional village don’t have the privilege to waddle in self-guilt and self-flagellation.
Anyway, I thought this book was okay overall and while I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, if you’re really into the synopsis maybe check it out. I do think the novels Caucasia by Danzy Senna and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett do a better job of showing characters struggling and reckoning with their proximity to whiteness. I know these novels differ from We Meant Well in that they focus on Black Americans as opposed to a South Asian woman doing aid work in Africa, though I thought I’d include them so that people may have books to turn to if they’re searching for something to read....more
Super cute book! I loved the all-Black cast and the determination of our main character, Kiki. I also enjoyed reading about her romance with Kai, its Super cute book! I loved the all-Black cast and the determination of our main character, Kiki. I also enjoyed reading about her romance with Kai, its fire, ups and downs, and ultimately satisfying ending. I think this book’s genre and I didn’t match well; I wanted a bit more depth from the characters apart from the romance, though it’s a romance novel so I can’t really blame it for that. I also found the writing style occasionally clunky. I definitely agree with Bolu Babalola’s intent and mission in writing this novel though and appreciate her care for her characters....more
I overall liked this essay collection centered around grief, ranging from the loss of a parent, child, romantic partner, and from what I can recall onI overall liked this essay collection centered around grief, ranging from the loss of a parent, child, romantic partner, and from what I can recall one essay about a friend. I appreciate how Modern Loss normalizes the ongoing grief process and refutes outdated stereotypes that grief is just something you get over after a certain amount of time. These essays touch on some of the complicated parts of grief, such as when the person you grieving had committed adultery or when your grief is exposed to a wide mass of people on the internet. I liked how there was some diversity in regard to race and sexual orientation of the authors.
Mainly giving this three stars because I think the book favored quantity over depth – there are a lot of essays in this collection though each of them are pretty short. Totally respect that choice and I imagine some of that has to do with the online format of this forum prior to this book coming out. When it comes to a full-length book about grief my mind first goes to Let’s Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell, about losing her brilliant friend Caroline Knapp. Also, I wanted to say that you can grieve people and experiences even if death isn’t involved (e.g., a breakup between friends or romantic partners or family estrangement), just because a lot if not all of these essays are about when someone dies specifically....more
An important book about climate displacement and how climate change will force people to move away from inhospitable living conditions. I liked that JAn important book about climate displacement and how climate change will force people to move away from inhospitable living conditions. I liked that Jake Bittle included the direct stories and quotes from people’s whose lives have already been affected by climate displacement. Climate change already affects people’s lives, especially those with fewer resources and who face greater societal marginalization. I appreciate that Bittle included some potential solutions to address climate change and climate displacement so that the book contains some level of hope.
Unfortunately I found the writing a bit boring/dull to read at times, however climate displacement is such an important issue so I’d still potentially recommend The Great Displacement to folks....more
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