anna1isa's reviews
82 reviews

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

4.75

Had me on the edge of my seat until the last page. Not once did I know where this book was going or what was going to happen next. Blake Crouch was shaking me vigorously by the shoulders, playing with my heart, throwing me against the wall, punching me in the face, and I loved every minute of it. The actual basis of 'reality' in this book was also exciting to ponder and discuss. I finished this book imbued with gratitude for the mundane and contentment with my station in life.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

5.0

What hasn't already been said? I thought at one point I might be immune, but the entire last quarter of this book had me reading through tears. At points, hyperventilating and melodramatic wailing. This should be added to the high school curriculum (at the risk of traumatizing students.

a la modern romeo & juliet?

) There was so much richness in the side characters and the politics and culture of the period that added to the beauty of the story and made this a memorable read. And now, I have no choice but to evangelize, so that everyone must experience the same pain that I have. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

4.0

More intrigue & mystery than expected, which helped to create suspense to pull me along. Small lull in the plot pacing around the middle, but I was enjoying the setting and characters so much I didn't mind. Also the romance was

kind of not at all and then all at once... but I'm still buying it idc.

Fantastic, magical, endearing, and pure escapism.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

4.75

I was originally recommended this book because I had expressed a fondness for the archetypal "male brooding protagonist " and John Grady Cole delivers. He lives by his own code of ethics and is anti-establishment, extremely resilient, a natural leader, and entirely built-different. Beautiful, poetic descriptions of the landscape combined with cowboy shenanigans and some real heart-wrenching scenes. Every Cormac McCarthy book feels like a knife to the heart and this is no exception. 

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account Of The Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

4.5

So suspenseful and anxiety-inducing it made my stomach twist at multiple points. Deeply personal and harrowing, but so engrossing to read. If you're a climber/outdoorsy/adventurous you should read and let me know what you think. I'm left with the oppressive weight of the human desire to conquer, and the desire to push both physical and mental limits to find the boundaries of human exploration.

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

4.25

My favorite story was Sundays, but there are a lot of bangers in here. They were consistently great and it was an enjoyable variety of indigenous stories and perspectives. And there aren't any stories longer than 20-25 pages so they're quite snappy.

People Collide by Isle McElroy

4.0

SCREAMS book club! Facilitates discussion of gender in a fun & accessible way. I can't stop asking people in my life what they would do in a similar body-swap scenario. I found the characters to be frustrating and unlikeable most of the time, but somehow I wanted more... must be something about their depth, they obviously are people of multitudes. Entertaining premise, thoughtful execution.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

4.25

Yes I did rush through this, but it's a novella so I think that's warranted. I didn't find this as convoluted as others seem to--I notoriously HATE time travel stories because I have monkey brain, but I found success submitting myself to whatever flavor of time travel logic was fed to me in this book. Second half definitely stronger, but I enjoyed it the whole way through. Sci-fi romance!! Who is doing it like her?!

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

4.75

This was so beautifully written. Funny, dark, emotional, and captivating portrayal of life growing up on a reservation & experiencing the world as indigenous & queer. It really sucks you in, I often picked it up distracted but was pulled into the story every time and found it to be entertaining and engrossing. I'd recommend to anyone as an exercise in empathy, but especially those with an interest in queer literature--a modern classic in the genre.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

3.0

I loved what this book had to say about wellness, beauty, capitalism, & race. I also enjoyed the ending & all the surrealistic aspects of the story. I was sometimes frustrated with the main character though, felt she was a bit too willfully ignorant. Still--a captivating read.