alexenjoysthings's Reviews (383)

The Language We Were Never Taught to Speak

5.0

emotional reflective fast-paced

Lau has a beautifully lyrical style of writing. She includes a few experimental pieces in the mix that go perfectly with the collection. It shows being a queer Asian immigrant in a way that lets every person understand without experiencing it. I was moved by a lot of the poems and I think it's a great exploration of identity and family relationships.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

5.0

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Overall review: Hitchcock has created a masterpiece short-story collection. She is so great at characterization that every single one of them feels unbelievably real. She’s also amazing at capturing small town environments and all the hidden things within them. All the stories weave together in ways I truly did not expect but were complete perfection. The writing style is raw and honest with hints of lyricism. I absolutely recommend it to everyone interested in slice-of-life stories. You can see my (rambly) reviews of individual stories below with content warnings. If one story has content that triggers you, you can still get a lot out of the collection, but you might miss the easter egg references.

Angry Starfish: 5 stars, great visualization, truly captures grief, I really enjoyed it. CW: grief, death of a parent

Pigeon Creek: 4 stars, I didn’t realize the stories were connected, her writing is so realistic, this was very dramatic like watching a car crash (lmao), plays with the senses. CW: car crash, sex, infidelity, alcohol

Sea Shaken Houses: 5 stars, this is absolutely my favorite so far, so much imagery, the characterization was beautiful, great plot *chef’s kiss* I want more, I love Jane. CW: body horror, death, sexual assault

Parking Lot Flowers: 4.5 stars, this one was a lot darker, easy to feel the characters emotions, tells an entire story in such a short story. CW: sexual assault, homophobia

The Right Kind of People: 5 stars, so good and dark and fiery. Amazing wordsmithing, gross and gritty like the subject at hand. CW: sexual assault, sexual content

Basketball Town: 4.75 stars, I love how the stories are weaved together, this was a great way to show familial pressure, I wish it was longer to make the story as fully fleshed as the others. CW: sexism, anti-native racism

Alaska Was Wasted on Us: 4 stars, this one felt a bit more juvenile than the rest but it did make my heart race with suspense. CW: mild child missing

The Stranger in the Woods: 4.5 stars still not as deep or fleshed out as the earlier ones, but still overall really good at analyzing relationships and the hidden things in small towns, specifically trust and gossip. Also, the connections are so good, the one didn’t hit me until after I finished and I literally gasped. CW: child murder, possible adult/minor relationship

There’s Gas in the Tank, Louise!: 5 stars, this literally made me cry, it is so emotional. I love the unreliable narrator and I think the way it was done was amazing. This was a good story to wrap up the collection. CW: drugs, child death

Content Warnings

Women Don't Owe You Pretty

Florence Given

2.0

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

This book was a (good) slap in the face. It's a journey to self-respect through feminism with absolutely stunning illustrations throughout. It's succinct yet personal and has wonderful tidbits of advice that feel like gold. The book has sections on desirability politics, privilege, abusive relationships, queerness, self-care and so much more. Given teachers the readers how to own their lives and free themselves from the patriarchy like a big sister; it's not overly academic but still teaches so much. I recommend it to all women and women adjacent people.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

EDIT: After learning about the controversy with this book, I've reflected a bit more. I see this book as self-help with a feminist lens. The feminism in this book is very basic and nothing new, the ideas are definitely decades old.

Content Warnings

The Illusion of Tomorrow

Ramona Meisel

5.0

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

This is the kind of poetry that seeps its way inside your bones.

Content Warnings

The Tea Dragon Tapestry

K. O'Neill

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is an absolutely adorable and heartwarming end to the Tea Dragon trilogy. The plot and themes are deeper than in the first book and has aspects that anybody can relate to. The art is as cute as ever, and I'm so happy to see all of my favorite characters from the first two books. I absolutely adored the excerpt from the Tea Dragon Handbook in the back; it really adds to the overall worldbuilding and paints a beautiful picture. Overall, I'm sad to see the series end, but this was the best way to end it. I would recommend to anyone who wants a cute fantasy comic series with queer and disabled main characters.

The Tea Dragon Festival

K. O'Neill

5.0

adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is even better than the first book. Absolutely adorable and one of the most diverse graphic novels I've read

A Little Sunshine and a Little Rain: A Poetry Journal

Sabina Laura

4.5

inspiring reflective fast-paced

This is a perfect journal for beginner poets, people returning to poetry after a while, and poets who are in a writing rut. Some of the prompts can be a bit basic, but most of them are interesting and can be personalized to create great works (I wish there was a hashtag or something for people to share what they've written with each prompt). There are poems interspersed between the prompts that are unrelated, but very good. I would love to read her other book of poetry. The art is very cute and I love how it's broken up by season. I also love how there is a small guide to elements of poetry at the beginning to help newer poets. I overall absolutely recommend it.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

What's Up, Beanie?: Acutely Relatable Comics

Alina Tysoe

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

This is an absolutely adorable slice of life comic collection. It's written as a conversation from the author to a younger version of herself reflecting through her life and is split into 3 sections: Baby, Teenager, and Adult. I hadn't seen much of this artist's work before, but now I absolutely want to see more. It's cute, relatable, funny, and, at times, a little emotional. I absolutely recommend.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gudetama: Mindfulness for the Lazy

Wook-Jin Clark

5.0

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

This comic doesn't offer revolutionary advice, but teaches mindfulness in a succinct, easy-to-consume, and utterly adorable way.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Rebecca Hall

5.0

dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

This is a difficult book to read, but very worth it. It sheds light on an aspect of history that is often washed over or downright hidden in the American education system, while also showing both the microaggressions and trauma that come from being a Black slavery historian. It is a powerful story and one that should be required reading. I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of art style, but it works well for the seriousness of this book.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

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