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bayleyreadsbooks's Reviews (530)
Being a science communicator is hard. You have to be able to walk the incredibly fine line of not talking down to the people who are experts in the field while simultaneously trying to convey exactly the right amount to information to make the layman reader understand and not feel overwhelmed or too stupid to keep listening. Harriet Washington does a fantastic job of this.
The introduction stars us off on the topic of IQ. I was mildly worried I was not going to enjoy this book because I knew just enough about IQ to be dangerous. But Washington takes the reader on a history of what IQ measures, its flaws and limitations, and defines its use in her book.
The way she addressed IQ was interesting, and it gave the reader a solid framework for the book.
Washington is very witty, the topic of this book obviously does not leave a lot of room for levity, but the way she addresses some areas of the book made me very interested in scrolling through her twitter, she seems like she is hilarious.
Back to the content. Washington takes the reader through different environmental factors that can be detrimental to humans health on multiple levels. She addresses the effects on our bodies and minds and then she dives into the statistics and case studies that show these factors have a higher chance of harming people of color, most often black and indigenous populations. Heavy metals (lots of talk about lead in specific), environmental neurotoxins, microbes, and other chemicals are all delved into during Part 2. She addresses how they harm adults, children, and fetuses, and how dangerously hard it can be to prove they are actually harming people, especially when those people are black.
I learned so much while reading this book. It was at times overwhelming with the amount of information I was being introduced to at once, but this book does not require you have an extensive scientific background to understand the point Washington is making.
Also, to alleviate the overwhelming amount of horrible reality you will be confronted with, Washington leaves the book on a hopeful note. She gives the reader specific things that can be done and writes hopefully about current and future political action to protect the minds and bodies of all vulnerable people.
When I picked this book up I did not know about her past books, now that I have read A Terrible Thing to WasteI will certainly be going through her backlist soon! I will be recommending this book to people interested in public health, structural racism, environmentalism, and nonfiction focused on science. This book is released on July 23rd, 2019.
ARC provided by NetGalley, all opinions are honest!
The introduction stars us off on the topic of IQ. I was mildly worried I was not going to enjoy this book because I knew just enough about IQ to be dangerous. But Washington takes the reader on a history of what IQ measures, its flaws and limitations, and defines its use in her book.
"Some question how critical IQ is. We’ve long known that IQ measurements, in the United States and around the world, are dramatically biased. We also know that it is not possible to administer the test in a manner that gives meaningful comparisons across a wide variety of cultures. Beyond this, the meaning of “intelligence” varies from culture to culture, it is multifactorial, and IQ tests provide an admittedly limited and biased measure of achievement, not the oft-touted innate ability." (page number to come)
"Although IQ scores are not a consistently accurate measure of intelligence, IQ is too important to ignore or to wish away. For Americans, IQ, usually measured by the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler scales, although there are many variants, has proven a predictor of success in school, social settings, work achievement, and lifetime earnings"(page number to come)
The way she addressed IQ was interesting, and it gave the reader a solid framework for the book.
Washington is very witty, the topic of this book obviously does not leave a lot of room for levity, but the way she addresses some areas of the book made me very interested in scrolling through her twitter, she seems like she is hilarious.
Back to the content. Washington takes the reader through different environmental factors that can be detrimental to humans health on multiple levels. She addresses the effects on our bodies and minds and then she dives into the statistics and case studies that show these factors have a higher chance of harming people of color, most often black and indigenous populations. Heavy metals (lots of talk about lead in specific), environmental neurotoxins, microbes, and other chemicals are all delved into during Part 2. She addresses how they harm adults, children, and fetuses, and how dangerously hard it can be to prove they are actually harming people, especially when those people are black.
I learned so much while reading this book. It was at times overwhelming with the amount of information I was being introduced to at once, but this book does not require you have an extensive scientific background to understand the point Washington is making.
Also, to alleviate the overwhelming amount of horrible reality you will be confronted with, Washington leaves the book on a hopeful note. She gives the reader specific things that can be done and writes hopefully about current and future political action to protect the minds and bodies of all vulnerable people.
When I picked this book up I did not know about her past books, now that I have read A Terrible Thing to WasteI will certainly be going through her backlist soon! I will be recommending this book to people interested in public health, structural racism, environmentalism, and nonfiction focused on science. This book is released on July 23rd, 2019.
ARC provided by NetGalley, all opinions are honest!
This book is amazingly over the top. Every part of this book is dramatic and over saturated with metaphor and description, and it is so much fun to be in this world.
I really loved the world; the way that magic is so deeply woven into the fabric of the world is wonderful. I also loved how this story doesn't seem to be in a specific time and is just vaguely Caribbean (unless I am mistaken). I love that the time and place aren't super obvious; it allows the reader to go along with the game of the story with ease.
I also loved the game. I was legitimately worried, and on edge the whole time, that is always impressive. I love when an author draws strong emotions from me; I didn't cry (I spoiled myself because I was so on edge), but I was very emotionally invested.
The one thing I didn't like about this story was I felt like there should have been more consequences for the characters. The way the story ends has hints of repercussions for book two, but I wanted the way Scarlett felt towards Tella and Julian to be impacted a little bit more. I especially wanted Scarlett and Tella to have a bit more tension in their very sweet relationship.
I'm super excited to read books two and three!
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I really loved the world; the way that magic is so deeply woven into the fabric of the world is wonderful. I also loved how this story doesn't seem to be in a specific time and is just vaguely Caribbean (unless I am mistaken). I love that the time and place aren't super obvious; it allows the reader to go along with the game of the story with ease.
I also loved the game. I was legitimately worried, and on edge the whole time, that is always impressive. I love when an author draws strong emotions from me; I didn't cry (I spoiled myself because I was so on edge), but I was very emotionally invested.
The one thing I didn't like about this story was I felt like there should have been more consequences for the characters. The way the story ends has hints of repercussions for book two, but I wanted the way Scarlett felt towards Tella and Julian to be impacted a little bit more. I especially wanted Scarlett and Tella to have a bit more tension in their very sweet relationship.
I'm super excited to read books two and three!
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Girls of Paper and Fire will knock you out.
This book follows Lei, a young girl who works in her father's herb shop, as she is kidnapped from her village and brought to the King's palace. It has everything that this fantasy/YA trope has prepared us for: beautiful outfits, rivalry with other girls, falling in love. But Lei does not fall for the King; she is instead ensnared in the plot to overthrow his oppressive regime.
I loved this book. It is heartbreakingly sad at times, has a romance that will undoubtedly sweep you away (hot warrior princess who is so NICE), amazing friendships, a fast-paced plot, and a solid emotional center of the story.
This book took me a really long time to read, mostly because of how tightly wound with anxiety the book made me. I was caught in a struggle where I was terrified about the next page but also absolutely had to know how this book ended. Now I am 100% on team "I need book two right now."
This book has some heavy subject matter; it deals with sexual assault, captivity, various war crimes, and other traumas. But Ngan handles these issues so well. You can see that she is not doing trauma tourism; she is reflecting horrible parts of the world back at us. Ngan handles the balancing act of how much to show on the page and how much to allude to perfectly. I was so impressed by her ability to nail this; she is such a careful, practiced writer.
This book thinks deeply about greed, power, exploitation, and segmentation. While also exploring friendship, love, and empathy. Ngan consistently impressed me with how thoughtful her book was while also pulling me deeper into the plot. I am so interested in getting her previous books (which I believe were only published in the UK).
She also made me feel deeply for the struggles of each paper girl. In particular, I was interested in Chenna, Blue, and Aokai. Chenna seemed like she was who Lei could have been if she had grown up closer to the palace. She was defiant but had less room to express that I assume due to her upbringing. I really would love to see more of Chenna in the future! Blue was probably the most interesting paper girl. She has a deep inner conflict that was so tragic, paired with her absolutely horrible interpersonal skills and inability to place blame on the proper people. I was always so worried about Blues next move, and Blue makes a point of not disappointing. Aokai is Lei's best friend in the palace; she is shy, sweet, and naive. Her journey throughout the book was so frustrating to watch; Lei forgives her for actions that seem hard to forgive. You will get to the point where you want to scream "THE KING IS A MONSTER YOU IDIOT" at her, but she seems so genuinely beguiled that it is hard to blame her. Each of the girls has had her freedom and choice intensely compromised, and it is so well handled by Ngan, it is so easy to see their motivations, even when you profoundly disagree with their actions.
Wren, another paper girl, was such an interesting character. Two things are apparent relating to Wren very early on, she is hiding something big, and Lei has it bad for Wren. The story disappoints on neither front. Watching her relationship with Lei form in this horrible place was such a solace for the characters and the reader, and the tension of her secret kept you drawn to her backstory. Wren has everything you want in a romantic lead, and it is so refreshing to wee a w/w romance in YA. Most of the LGBTQ content is white gay boys (which is not unimportant), but it is so wonderful to have Girls of Paper and Fire as an addition to this genre, YA and fantasy always need more queer women, and women of color especially.
The world building in this story is so strong; it is woven in so well that there are elements that can slip your notice. I assume this is especially true for those of us who are not Chinese or Malaysian. I caught a few things that I remembered from friends or media (eight girls because eight sounds like the word for luck), but I am sure other things went over my head. But the world of this story feels so luxurious and real. The descriptions fo the food will have you hungry. The clothing, architecture, and customs of the world will keep you wrapped in the story all the way through. Ngan does such an excellent job pulling in references to current political issues while keeping the reader in her fraught Kingdom. She built a lush rich world than used it as a mirror for issues in ours.
Magic here is the more ethereal kind, it does not have hard rules explained to the reader, but we are told it is wildly out of balance. The magic plotline is one I am very eager to see more of in future books.
This book follows Lei, a young girl who works in her father's herb shop, as she is kidnapped from her village and brought to the King's palace. It has everything that this fantasy/YA trope has prepared us for: beautiful outfits, rivalry with other girls, falling in love. But Lei does not fall for the King; she is instead ensnared in the plot to overthrow his oppressive regime.
I loved this book. It is heartbreakingly sad at times, has a romance that will undoubtedly sweep you away (hot warrior princess who is so NICE), amazing friendships, a fast-paced plot, and a solid emotional center of the story.
This book took me a really long time to read, mostly because of how tightly wound with anxiety the book made me. I was caught in a struggle where I was terrified about the next page but also absolutely had to know how this book ended. Now I am 100% on team "I need book two right now."
This book has some heavy subject matter; it deals with sexual assault, captivity, various war crimes, and other traumas. But Ngan handles these issues so well. You can see that she is not doing trauma tourism; she is reflecting horrible parts of the world back at us. Ngan handles the balancing act of how much to show on the page and how much to allude to perfectly. I was so impressed by her ability to nail this; she is such a careful, practiced writer.
This book thinks deeply about greed, power, exploitation, and segmentation. While also exploring friendship, love, and empathy. Ngan consistently impressed me with how thoughtful her book was while also pulling me deeper into the plot. I am so interested in getting her previous books (which I believe were only published in the UK).
She also made me feel deeply for the struggles of each paper girl. In particular, I was interested in Chenna, Blue, and Aokai. Chenna seemed like she was who Lei could have been if she had grown up closer to the palace. She was defiant but had less room to express that I assume due to her upbringing. I really would love to see more of Chenna in the future! Blue was probably the most interesting paper girl. She has a deep inner conflict that was so tragic, paired with her absolutely horrible interpersonal skills and inability to place blame on the proper people. I was always so worried about Blues next move, and Blue makes a point of not disappointing. Aokai is Lei's best friend in the palace; she is shy, sweet, and naive. Her journey throughout the book was so frustrating to watch; Lei forgives her for actions that seem hard to forgive. You will get to the point where you want to scream "THE KING IS A MONSTER YOU IDIOT" at her, but she seems so genuinely beguiled that it is hard to blame her. Each of the girls has had her freedom and choice intensely compromised, and it is so well handled by Ngan, it is so easy to see their motivations, even when you profoundly disagree with their actions.
Wren, another paper girl, was such an interesting character. Two things are apparent relating to Wren very early on, she is hiding something big, and Lei has it bad for Wren. The story disappoints on neither front. Watching her relationship with Lei form in this horrible place was such a solace for the characters and the reader, and the tension of her secret kept you drawn to her backstory. Wren has everything you want in a romantic lead, and it is so refreshing to wee a w/w romance in YA. Most of the LGBTQ content is white gay boys (which is not unimportant), but it is so wonderful to have Girls of Paper and Fire as an addition to this genre, YA and fantasy always need more queer women, and women of color especially.
The world building in this story is so strong; it is woven in so well that there are elements that can slip your notice. I assume this is especially true for those of us who are not Chinese or Malaysian. I caught a few things that I remembered from friends or media (eight girls because eight sounds like the word for luck), but I am sure other things went over my head. But the world of this story feels so luxurious and real. The descriptions fo the food will have you hungry. The clothing, architecture, and customs of the world will keep you wrapped in the story all the way through. Ngan does such an excellent job pulling in references to current political issues while keeping the reader in her fraught Kingdom. She built a lush rich world than used it as a mirror for issues in ours.
Magic here is the more ethereal kind, it does not have hard rules explained to the reader, but we are told it is wildly out of balance. The magic plotline is one I am very eager to see more of in future books.
I always forget I love mystery novels until I am reading a mystery novel. Maybe this book will be the spark (see what I did there?) that will lead me into a hole full of untimely death and other elements of the criminal.
I had so much fun reading this book! The Right Sort of Man is about Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge and Miss. Iris Sparks, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau! Their little business is doing fine during the summer of 1946, setting up couples in a London rebuilding from World War 2. Both women (and the rest of London we encounter) have been deeply affected by the war. Gwen lost her husband and is not entangled in a battle over her son with her inlaws. Iris has a mysterious past relating to the war effort, she is a stone-cold badass, and you know immediately she has certainly killed a man on behalf of England. These women are very different but have such a satisfying, funny, sweet relationship, and they are excellent partners. Our story starts when Tillie, a woman looking for love in the first chapter, is found murdered and the police think the man Iris and Gwen set her up with is the perpetrator. With Gwen spearheading, the women dive into Tillie's life trying to find her real murderer while also handling their critical issues in their personal lives.
I loved this book! I was hooked trying to find the murderer, but along the way, I was really invested most in Gwen's fight to regain custody of her son from her mother-in-law. The emotional core of this story is so strong, and most certainly brought me to tears.
The reveal of the murderer was so well timed, Montclair, a pen name for an author I cannot suss out, did a perfect reader figures it out RIGHT before the characters do. There was so much tension. I didn't love the motive, but it made sense and was very well executed.
This was a fantastic start of a series; I cannot wait for book two! I want to see what Iris and Gwen get up to next!
ARC provided by the publisher! All opinions are honest and my own! This book is currently out! Go get it!
Review also on: My Blog and My Tumblr
I had so much fun reading this book! The Right Sort of Man is about Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge and Miss. Iris Sparks, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau! Their little business is doing fine during the summer of 1946, setting up couples in a London rebuilding from World War 2. Both women (and the rest of London we encounter) have been deeply affected by the war. Gwen lost her husband and is not entangled in a battle over her son with her inlaws. Iris has a mysterious past relating to the war effort, she is a stone-cold badass, and you know immediately she has certainly killed a man on behalf of England. These women are very different but have such a satisfying, funny, sweet relationship, and they are excellent partners. Our story starts when Tillie, a woman looking for love in the first chapter, is found murdered and the police think the man Iris and Gwen set her up with is the perpetrator. With Gwen spearheading, the women dive into Tillie's life trying to find her real murderer while also handling their critical issues in their personal lives.
I loved this book! I was hooked trying to find the murderer, but along the way, I was really invested most in Gwen's fight to regain custody of her son from her mother-in-law. The emotional core of this story is so strong, and most certainly brought me to tears.
The reveal of the murderer was so well timed, Montclair, a pen name for an author I cannot suss out, did a perfect reader figures it out RIGHT before the characters do. There was so much tension. I didn't love the motive, but it made sense and was very well executed.
This was a fantastic start of a series; I cannot wait for book two! I want to see what Iris and Gwen get up to next!
ARC provided by the publisher! All opinions are honest and my own! This book is currently out! Go get it!
Review also on: My Blog and My Tumblr
ARC from NetGalley, all opinions here are honest!
I had a lot of fun with this story! The art in this book was especially beautiful to experience; I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished form the art will take. I didn't know Gabriel Picolo before reading this book, but I am now looking forward to seeing his art elsewhere.
My Teen Titans background is not extensive, I watched the TV show casually as a kid but had never been an active participant in their stories. I now look forward to reintroduction into this world.
I had also never read anything by Kami Garcia! She is such a well-known person in the YA community. I am not sure how I hadn't encountered her books before.
I found a lot of the story elements interesting, I thought the interplay between the words and the illustration was very strong, but the way the story concludes wasn't the most exciting ending for a visual medium. I also wanted a little more information before we got to the end, this is obviously the beginning of a series, but I would have liked a more solid foundation to jump off into the rest of a series.
I really liked the setting and the characterization; these factors were done quite well. Sometimes with comics and graphic novels, I can forget precisely who a person is, but I had a pretty good grasp on all the characters from the jump.
I will totally be continuing with this if it is a series, it was such a fast fun read.
I had a lot of fun with this story! The art in this book was especially beautiful to experience; I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished form the art will take. I didn't know Gabriel Picolo before reading this book, but I am now looking forward to seeing his art elsewhere.
My Teen Titans background is not extensive, I watched the TV show casually as a kid but had never been an active participant in their stories. I now look forward to reintroduction into this world.
I had also never read anything by Kami Garcia! She is such a well-known person in the YA community. I am not sure how I hadn't encountered her books before.
I found a lot of the story elements interesting, I thought the interplay between the words and the illustration was very strong, but the way the story concludes wasn't the most exciting ending for a visual medium. I also wanted a little more information before we got to the end, this is obviously the beginning of a series, but I would have liked a more solid foundation to jump off into the rest of a series.
I really liked the setting and the characterization; these factors were done quite well. Sometimes with comics and graphic novels, I can forget precisely who a person is, but I had a pretty good grasp on all the characters from the jump.
I will totally be continuing with this if it is a series, it was such a fast fun read.
Legendary is the sequel to Caraval, a novel about a traveling magic show/game/mystery whose winner is granted one coveted prize. Book two has a Caraval that promises the game to be real this time.
I think Legendary had similar pros and cons for me that Caraval did. I still loved the over the top nature of the world and the characters, it’s fun to be in a reality that is heightened this much. I did like the imagery a bit more in Caraval, but I enjoyed the more plot-heavy nature of Legendary. I wish Legendary had felt like it was bursting with magic and possibility in the same was Caraval did, but I understood that turn into a darker book and a new location required a different sort of magic.
My main critique of Caraval was that it basically had no stakes and the things that it could have had stakes for caused no consequences for, this book didn’t have the first half of this at all and the second half was not as intense. I enjoyed that Scarlett was holding Julien accountable in book two, though we barely got any Scarlett, so this wasn’t a big part of the story. But I was still disappointed that despite the much higher stakes for this book, that the ending didn’t feel as cataclysmic as I would have hoped it would. Bad things happened, but these bad things don’t feel insurmountable.
I was pretty bothered by how similar the romantic conflicts are in the two books. Why does everyone have fake fiancés all the time? I also think the “I don’t need no man” vibe Tella gives off would be much more believable if she didn’t want to much approval from men? I did like the backstory we got about the flippant way she interacts with boys. But I still didn’t like the romance in this book nearly as much as I wanted too. I am still so much more invested in Scarlett’s love problems though I sense more contrived love triangles for book three.
I also sort of don’t care that much about Legend. Going into this book, I was so curious about Legend, but once we got the revel (that was treated as a clue by the characters), I thought it made sense but wasn’t that interesting. I don’t understand enough about what makes him tick, about what is performance and what is real, to care that much about him. I didn’t want Tella to be sad, but I also don’t want Tella to end up with a pretentious asshole.
On to Tella. I think I enjoyed Tella more from Scarlett’s loving point of view than I did in the first third of this book. I also very much missed naïve, honest, hardworking Scarlett. But I did grow to like Tella, she is rash and does not consider others feelings, but she grows a lot through this story. She felt a bit incongruous to the Tella we met in Caraval, less silly mostly, but she was an interesting point of view character.
I said this book had more plot that Caraval, and it totally did. I really enjoyed the plot, I do not think a single twist was executed well, I guessed literally every single one upon the first “clue,” but I still enjoyed the story. I am hoping for more surprise from Finale.
I gave this book three stars on Goodreads, but I am sort of on the fence about this. It could have been four maybe. If I change my mind, I will update! My copy of Finale should be at my house in no more than two hours, so I will be busy as soon as I get that.
I think Legendary had similar pros and cons for me that Caraval did. I still loved the over the top nature of the world and the characters, it’s fun to be in a reality that is heightened this much. I did like the imagery a bit more in Caraval, but I enjoyed the more plot-heavy nature of Legendary. I wish Legendary had felt like it was bursting with magic and possibility in the same was Caraval did, but I understood that turn into a darker book and a new location required a different sort of magic.
My main critique of Caraval was that it basically had no stakes and the things that it could have had stakes for caused no consequences for, this book didn’t have the first half of this at all and the second half was not as intense. I enjoyed that Scarlett was holding Julien accountable in book two, though we barely got any Scarlett, so this wasn’t a big part of the story. But I was still disappointed that despite the much higher stakes for this book, that the ending didn’t feel as cataclysmic as I would have hoped it would. Bad things happened, but these bad things don’t feel insurmountable.
I was pretty bothered by how similar the romantic conflicts are in the two books. Why does everyone have fake fiancés all the time? I also think the “I don’t need no man” vibe Tella gives off would be much more believable if she didn’t want to much approval from men? I did like the backstory we got about the flippant way she interacts with boys. But I still didn’t like the romance in this book nearly as much as I wanted too. I am still so much more invested in Scarlett’s love problems though I sense more contrived love triangles for book three.
I also sort of don’t care that much about Legend. Going into this book, I was so curious about Legend, but once we got the revel (that was treated as a clue by the characters), I thought it made sense but wasn’t that interesting. I don’t understand enough about what makes him tick, about what is performance and what is real, to care that much about him. I didn’t want Tella to be sad, but I also don’t want Tella to end up with a pretentious asshole.
On to Tella. I think I enjoyed Tella more from Scarlett’s loving point of view than I did in the first third of this book. I also very much missed naïve, honest, hardworking Scarlett. But I did grow to like Tella, she is rash and does not consider others feelings, but she grows a lot through this story. She felt a bit incongruous to the Tella we met in Caraval, less silly mostly, but she was an interesting point of view character.
I said this book had more plot that Caraval, and it totally did. I really enjoyed the plot, I do not think a single twist was executed well, I guessed literally every single one upon the first “clue,” but I still enjoyed the story. I am hoping for more surprise from Finale.
I gave this book three stars on Goodreads, but I am sort of on the fence about this. It could have been four maybe. If I change my mind, I will update! My copy of Finale should be at my house in no more than two hours, so I will be busy as soon as I get that.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I should have googled the book before I started reading it. I have committed to stop reading reality tv/internet people books (without careful consideration), and I did not realize that following that rule could have saved me from this book. It’s not good. The cover is the cutest, but the book is almost unreadable.
The Perfect Date is about Angel, a single mother in nursing school trying to take care of her asthmatic son José. She meets the Duke, a pitcher for the Yankees with an ankle injury, past legal trouble, and some potential money problems and then romance apparently happens. I didn’t see it though.
The writing is so bad. If anyone wrote it without fame, it would never never never have been published. I would be embarrassed to be associated with this book. The writing is hard to follow; the point of view switches are terribly executed; it is hard to figure out who is doing what half the time. I thought Again, But Better was bad, but I hadn’t read this book yet.
The plot is so drama-laden it will most certainly make your eyes roll. The tragedy porn being dumped on the reader right at the beginning is so poorly done. People can most certainly have lives that are this terrible, but the way it’s just laid out for you right at the beginning is just bad plotting and character development. And as the book progresses, the drama gets more and more outlandish. How many times does someone need to walk in on sex in one book? And how long do you need to stare at two people banging before you figure out what’s happening and turn your ass around?!?
I hated the way this book talked about most women that weren’t our heroine, Angel. Everyone she worked with was “anorexic” and too skinny for our hero, the Duke, to want to bang. No other woman is shown to be smart, out heroin is a special woman because she has layers. It is bullshit that this kind of attitude about women is still being published in 2019. And it’s not like it’s a nuanced look at gender or how women are expected to behave. It’s just Angel is amazing; her neighbor/friend is fine; basically, all other women are terrible.
Our romantic lead is someone who approaches Angel and says, “I hear you take your shirt off for money,” and we are supposed to like him?!?? He has such terrible behavior throughout this book when interacting with Angel. I am so over aggression and bad behavior being presented as sexy.
Angel is all “I don’t need a man” but is also daydreaming about a man “taking care of her.” Which is super outdated also doesn’t match up with the author trying to convince us that Angel is smart and self-sufficient. I wish that the character development was better.
So I recommend this book to no one. And if anyone has any actually cute romance recommendations, I would love to hear them.
I should have googled the book before I started reading it. I have committed to stop reading reality tv/internet people books (without careful consideration), and I did not realize that following that rule could have saved me from this book. It’s not good. The cover is the cutest, but the book is almost unreadable.
The Perfect Date is about Angel, a single mother in nursing school trying to take care of her asthmatic son José. She meets the Duke, a pitcher for the Yankees with an ankle injury, past legal trouble, and some potential money problems and then romance apparently happens. I didn’t see it though.
The writing is so bad. If anyone wrote it without fame, it would never never never have been published. I would be embarrassed to be associated with this book. The writing is hard to follow; the point of view switches are terribly executed; it is hard to figure out who is doing what half the time. I thought Again, But Better was bad, but I hadn’t read this book yet.
The plot is so drama-laden it will most certainly make your eyes roll. The tragedy porn being dumped on the reader right at the beginning is so poorly done. People can most certainly have lives that are this terrible, but the way it’s just laid out for you right at the beginning is just bad plotting and character development. And as the book progresses, the drama gets more and more outlandish. How many times does someone need to walk in on sex in one book? And how long do you need to stare at two people banging before you figure out what’s happening and turn your ass around?!?
I hated the way this book talked about most women that weren’t our heroine, Angel. Everyone she worked with was “anorexic” and too skinny for our hero, the Duke, to want to bang. No other woman is shown to be smart, out heroin is a special woman because she has layers. It is bullshit that this kind of attitude about women is still being published in 2019. And it’s not like it’s a nuanced look at gender or how women are expected to behave. It’s just Angel is amazing; her neighbor/friend is fine; basically, all other women are terrible.
Our romantic lead is someone who approaches Angel and says, “I hear you take your shirt off for money,” and we are supposed to like him?!?? He has such terrible behavior throughout this book when interacting with Angel. I am so over aggression and bad behavior being presented as sexy.
Angel is all “I don’t need a man” but is also daydreaming about a man “taking care of her.” Which is super outdated also doesn’t match up with the author trying to convince us that Angel is smart and self-sufficient. I wish that the character development was better.
So I recommend this book to no one. And if anyone has any actually cute romance recommendations, I would love to hear them.
If you have an interest in local politics, national politics, public service, American current affairs, or just really really well-written memoir than you need to read Shortest Way Home. It is fantastic.
Pete Buttigieg's memoir follows his life growing up in South Bend, Indiana, being educated at Harvard and Oxford, working for The Firm, running for a local office and losing, running for Mayor of South Bend and winning, turning a “dying city” into a thriving one, being deployed as a member of the Navy reserves, coming out as gay right before his reelection, falling in love as a gay 30 ish year old Mayor, and how community organizing and politics have impacted Buttigieg and been impacted by him.
The most welcome surprise in this book is just how well written it is. Memoirs are sometimes a bit clunky in a way that is forgiven because the subject is far more interesting than their prose is odd. But Buttigieg, a literature and history graduate of Harvard, writes beautifully. His style is pretty informal, it is very conversational, but reminded me most of my favorite professors lecturing styles. I learned a lot, laughed out loud, and cried at least four times.
The thing about this book that works the best, and the backbone of the story, is the deep and clear love Pete Buttigieg has for South Bend. I am a massive sucker for a civic love story, and this is a beautifully crafted one. From the history of the city, told throughout the book in chunks that in no way overwhelm, to the profound and interesting musings on why parts of the midwest cling to the idea of becoming “great again”, Buttigieg tells the reader why “fly-over country” is just as rich and nuanced a place as the rest of the country. A small aside, but I typically find the analysis on the behavior of a place so much more insightful when told by an actual resident. It is one of the reasons I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and my favorite part of Naturally Tan by Tan France.
I am definitely guilty of the political science student sin of knowing how important local government is, but really being more deeply seduced by learning about national and global politics. Reading books like this remind me how important local politics are especially during politically fraught times. It is a massive inspiration to get involved and lets you know for sure that things like direct action and political change are enacted by small groups of people organizing with whatever resources are provided to them.
I also am indebted to this book because it made me decide that I should go to grad school and study human rights, something about reading about someone else’s decisions made me more capable of decisively making my own. Thanks Pete.
I also liked the level of personal this book digs into. It does not get too feelings-y, Buttigieg is a pretty analytical person it seems, but you get the sense of knowing him much better. This is mostly shown when he describes his relationships with his family, his community, and Chasten (who it is now my greatest dream writes a political partner memoir after being the First Gentleman [I am still undecided if I am rooting for him to be the first First Gentleman or the second First Gentleman] so I can read his fascinating story told by him).
I also loved the references in this book. I am pretty sure chapter 7 ended with a The West Wing reference, there were shoutouts to The Office and Parks and Recreation, to great works of literature, excellent music, and Dave Matthews Band. You get to know Pete through the things he loves, and I found it massively entertaining. In addition to loving all the wonky political nerd stuff.
Basically, I loved this book; it has probably kicked off my reading of political memoirs (Senator Harris and President Obama’s are on my list right now). It has also started my eager waiting for more books by Pete Buttigieg in the future.
Review on my Blog
Pete Buttigieg's memoir follows his life growing up in South Bend, Indiana, being educated at Harvard and Oxford, working for The Firm, running for a local office and losing, running for Mayor of South Bend and winning, turning a “dying city” into a thriving one, being deployed as a member of the Navy reserves, coming out as gay right before his reelection, falling in love as a gay 30 ish year old Mayor, and how community organizing and politics have impacted Buttigieg and been impacted by him.
The most welcome surprise in this book is just how well written it is. Memoirs are sometimes a bit clunky in a way that is forgiven because the subject is far more interesting than their prose is odd. But Buttigieg, a literature and history graduate of Harvard, writes beautifully. His style is pretty informal, it is very conversational, but reminded me most of my favorite professors lecturing styles. I learned a lot, laughed out loud, and cried at least four times.
The thing about this book that works the best, and the backbone of the story, is the deep and clear love Pete Buttigieg has for South Bend. I am a massive sucker for a civic love story, and this is a beautifully crafted one. From the history of the city, told throughout the book in chunks that in no way overwhelm, to the profound and interesting musings on why parts of the midwest cling to the idea of becoming “great again”, Buttigieg tells the reader why “fly-over country” is just as rich and nuanced a place as the rest of the country. A small aside, but I typically find the analysis on the behavior of a place so much more insightful when told by an actual resident. It is one of the reasons I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and my favorite part of Naturally Tan by Tan France.
I am definitely guilty of the political science student sin of knowing how important local government is, but really being more deeply seduced by learning about national and global politics. Reading books like this remind me how important local politics are especially during politically fraught times. It is a massive inspiration to get involved and lets you know for sure that things like direct action and political change are enacted by small groups of people organizing with whatever resources are provided to them.
I also am indebted to this book because it made me decide that I should go to grad school and study human rights, something about reading about someone else’s decisions made me more capable of decisively making my own. Thanks Pete.
I also liked the level of personal this book digs into. It does not get too feelings-y, Buttigieg is a pretty analytical person it seems, but you get the sense of knowing him much better. This is mostly shown when he describes his relationships with his family, his community, and Chasten (who it is now my greatest dream writes a political partner memoir after being the First Gentleman [I am still undecided if I am rooting for him to be the first First Gentleman or the second First Gentleman] so I can read his fascinating story told by him).
I also loved the references in this book. I am pretty sure chapter 7 ended with a The West Wing reference, there were shoutouts to The Office and Parks and Recreation, to great works of literature, excellent music, and Dave Matthews Band. You get to know Pete through the things he loves, and I found it massively entertaining. In addition to loving all the wonky political nerd stuff.
Basically, I loved this book; it has probably kicked off my reading of political memoirs (Senator Harris and President Obama’s are on my list right now). It has also started my eager waiting for more books by Pete Buttigieg in the future.
Review on my Blog
The Actor's Life is basically a guide to being an actor. If you are looking for Jenna Fischer's funny antics through life, this is not what you are going to get. Well, you will get that but not as much as you get a how-to guide on the life of an actor.
The book goes step by step through what steps should be taken to achieve the goal of being a working actor. It is well-written, funny, informative (though I am not sure how much is stuff that isn't on the internet), and seems to have sound and comforting advice. I would love a step by step guide to my dream job written by a funny, smart, interesting person in the field. It was an excellent idea for a book, and it is executed very well. It is an intensely compassionate practical guide.
The criticism I have of this book is the "never give up" mantra Fisher touts. That is a beautiful sentiment. And for some people never giving up works out really really well. Some people struggle for ten years then become a star or an actor that will be able to work and earn a comfortable living. But I would imagine that for some, never giving up is dooming one's self to a life of part-time jobs and occasional acting work never being financially secure. If you never give up, it could work well, or it could keep you from ever achieving financial security. But maybe I am cynical.
I honestly just read this book because I am currently watching The Office for the first time and this was available from my library with minimal waiting (I had read Mindy Kaling's books well before having watched the show and plan on reading Rainn Wilson's next). If you want to read because you just LOVEEE Pam than there are some awesome The Office stories. She made me want to do a rewatch, and I am not even done yet (will be soon).
I enjoyed this book, I think it is an excellent gift for anyone you know who wants to be an artist, especially an actor obviously, or just and The Office superfans in your life.
Blog post
The book goes step by step through what steps should be taken to achieve the goal of being a working actor. It is well-written, funny, informative (though I am not sure how much is stuff that isn't on the internet), and seems to have sound and comforting advice. I would love a step by step guide to my dream job written by a funny, smart, interesting person in the field. It was an excellent idea for a book, and it is executed very well. It is an intensely compassionate practical guide.
The criticism I have of this book is the "never give up" mantra Fisher touts. That is a beautiful sentiment. And for some people never giving up works out really really well. Some people struggle for ten years then become a star or an actor that will be able to work and earn a comfortable living. But I would imagine that for some, never giving up is dooming one's self to a life of part-time jobs and occasional acting work never being financially secure. If you never give up, it could work well, or it could keep you from ever achieving financial security. But maybe I am cynical.
I honestly just read this book because I am currently watching The Office for the first time and this was available from my library with minimal waiting (I had read Mindy Kaling's books well before having watched the show and plan on reading Rainn Wilson's next). If you want to read because you just LOVEEE Pam than there are some awesome The Office stories. She made me want to do a rewatch, and I am not even done yet (will be soon).
I enjoyed this book, I think it is an excellent gift for anyone you know who wants to be an artist, especially an actor obviously, or just and The Office superfans in your life.
Blog post
I am very fine with this book. I think I read it more to finish the series than to find out how the series ended. Partly because I didn't feel like there was much mystery in how the series would end and I was not that invested in how the characters would reach the ending. Maybe that sounds harsh.
I am pretty sure that my biggest issue with this series as a whole is that as characters were introduced so many of them were continually lying (as is the nature of the game Caraval) or didn't have emotional arcs I found satisfying that I just didn't develop a strong sense of who anyone but Scarlett and Tella are. And I didn't care for Tella outside of Scarlett's love for her until part way through book two. If the reason you liked a character is wrapped up in a lie or a performance than it becomes hard to know if you really like a character or not. This made me not really care about many peoples fates. I like likable characters; I am interested in unlikable characters; I am not into constantly having to remember if I liked someone or not.
I was also kind of disappointed in the end. I knew what Garber was going to do with it, but I wanted her to do something different. I know this is a romance heavy series, but it is also pitched as a love story between these two sisters. I wanted the magic that freed Tella to be more of a Frozen ending than a Snow White one. More than that I wanted Legend and Julian to have a brotherly love moment. Julian's inexplicable love for his brother who never loved him was an interesting storyline; I craved a resolution. I wished that his love for his brother could have been at least a part of why he wanted to stop being immortal. I wanted something on the page about them.
I still liked the setting and Garber's prose and Scarlett. I super think Garber did the Count dirty. That storyline deserved more build up for what actually happened.
I will read Garber's next series! I would like it if it was a more mellowed out story or if she continued in her heady over-the-top narration. I would hope her next go at a series is something I will enjoy more.
Blog Link
I am pretty sure that my biggest issue with this series as a whole is that as characters were introduced so many of them were continually lying (as is the nature of the game Caraval) or didn't have emotional arcs I found satisfying that I just didn't develop a strong sense of who anyone but Scarlett and Tella are. And I didn't care for Tella outside of Scarlett's love for her until part way through book two. If the reason you liked a character is wrapped up in a lie or a performance than it becomes hard to know if you really like a character or not. This made me not really care about many peoples fates. I like likable characters; I am interested in unlikable characters; I am not into constantly having to remember if I liked someone or not.
I was also kind of disappointed in the end. I knew what Garber was going to do with it, but I wanted her to do something different. I know this is a romance heavy series, but it is also pitched as a love story between these two sisters. I wanted the magic that freed Tella to be more of a Frozen ending than a Snow White one. More than that I wanted Legend and Julian to have a brotherly love moment. Julian's inexplicable love for his brother who never loved him was an interesting storyline; I craved a resolution. I wished that his love for his brother could have been at least a part of why he wanted to stop being immortal. I wanted something on the page about them.
I still liked the setting and Garber's prose and Scarlett. I super think Garber did the Count dirty. That storyline deserved more build up for what actually happened.
I will read Garber's next series! I would like it if it was a more mellowed out story or if she continued in her heady over-the-top narration. I would hope her next go at a series is something I will enjoy more.
Blog Link