anishaaa's reviews
540 reviews

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I didn't really catch when the relationship changed from friendship to romance, but after that point, what a cute romance! I think this is a wonderful book for a younger audience than me; there's not too much nuance, and almost all characters are either good or bad. I would have liked a deeper dive into the adult characters in this book and the

reveal at the end.

An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

For me this was my least favorite of the first three bridgerton books, though the climax was satisfying. There was too much of a power difference between Benedict and Sophia for this to be romantic to me. 

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Describing this book to people is a nightmare

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

emotional relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

no plot just vibes but kinda scary for readers with asian mommy issues. 

But actually - the mom-daughter relationship in this book was so well articulated and explored. I would have liked this to be more prevalent in the book. Loved the ending. 

Fully Involved: A Guide For Being In A Relationship With A Firefighter by Mynda Ohs

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Super helpful for those entering a relationship with a firefighter! Definitely assumes that all firefighters are men and their partners are women, but ignoring this, is helpful in decoding the mindset of a fire or EMS partner. 

This one does err on the side of putting the fire partner's career over the spouse's, but that makes sense given the subject of the book. There's still a lot to take away with the mindsets and strategies here.

Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs by Juli Berwald

emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

3.5

Super informative. I love a book about nature and climate change that takes on a slightly hopeful tone. 

I enjoyed the snippets of the author's life and daughter sprinkled throughout, thought the last second on COVID seemed tacked on at the end.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I knew absolutely nothing about this one going in - just that it is a classic. I did not know classics could be so gay and so progressive. I'm going to be picking up more Alice Walker in the future. 

Unorganized thoughts about this book:

• Loved watching the characters change throughout their lives and how relationships between them changed over time. My book club was at odds about Celie's decision to
  be friendly with Mister
  by the end of the book - personally I thought this was a more realistic choice and liked it, though it did make me super uncomfortable. 
• I'm not religious. But I found this book's discussion of God very in line with my own views of the world and on beauty and spirituality - surprising to me because I usually am not big on religion or spirituality discussions. I'm glad that the version of the book I read had a Forward (or intro?) by Alice Walker that pointed to this being a book about God, as it allowed me to pay more attention to this passage. 
• I can't stop thinking about how
  Celie
  made a pair of pants for
  Sophia
  where one leg is red and one leg is purple - I especially can't stop thinking about it with the context that pants that are split w/ two different colors had a moment in 2021. This is the worst decision in the book I hate the idea that these pants exist as an idea.
• Other discussion from book club - apparently the adaptations of this book (even the new one?) minimize the sapphic love. I have no take on this other than, I don't understand how it's not glaringly, obviously sapphic, and am now worried about the state of reading comprehension. 
• I started w/ the digital book and switched to audio around 50% through. The narrator was fantastic! 
• Top 3 book club book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Racism

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Cute! I liked the second one better, but still a fun read.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

inspiring fast-paced

3.25

Actually useful, I might give this a reread; recommended by my therapist. 

I'm not a big fan of the gimmick of inserting swear words everywhere, and the simple examples he uses to illustrate his point. I'm also not into the casual misogyny where he talks about "getting" women as a success metric, in his background and also when using his friends as examples. However, Manson does explain in simple terms how to "not give a fuck", and I think it's easy to understand, and, ignoring the examples, a useful book. More nuance is needed in applying these to real life, but I think this is a good primer, and definitely helpful to an overthinker like me. In short - useful, but terrible to read. 

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

adventurous medium-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? Yes

3.25

One of the better books we've read in book club. Johnson did a great job of adding in social commentary without being heavy handed, and weaved it seamlessly into the world. I'm also stoked to have a

sapphic interracial couple (?).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death