aparizo704's reviews
124 reviews

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found myself with more questions than answers after this somewhat unexpected end to the series, but, in a way, I suppose the ending was the answer, and the questions never mattered at all. 
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Required reading for all Americans, and essential to unlearning the harmful conditioning taught and reinforced in our nation’s institutions. 
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Home by Toni Morrison

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

Homecoming as a lived experience, rather than a familiar destination. 
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Now Is the Time to Open Your Heart by Alice Walker

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I find myself drawn to books lately with characters undergoing transformative journeys. Now is the Time to Open Your Heart is a reminder that this journey never ends - as in fiction, so in reality. Although the main character, Kate, is at a later stage in life than myself currently, the message in getting lost and finding yourself, over and over again, is timeless. 
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Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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challenging emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

Song of Solomon should be essential reading for your late 20s/early 30s. Self-exploration during this time is almost a second puberty, where roots firmly planted in the communities around us blossom into more concrete relationships, and complexity in others is met with cautious curiosity, rather than contemptuous dismissal. With a national identity shaped by religion (particularly in the South), each generation is confronted with inheriting “the sins of the father”, until, at some point, one realizes both punishment and redemption are self-inflicted. Morrison is the master of creating characters who showcase the duality of finding freedom and self-love in their most destructive traits. 
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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A tough, but challenging read that holds a mirror to the pervasiveness of anti-Blackness in America. It’s remarkable to see the world through a child’s eyes, where few things are more important than a sense of safety and belonging. Morrison’s stark call for self-exploration and healing is heard loud and clear. 
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Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A cocktail of fantasy, historical fiction, and GRRM’s magnificent creative process (including his allegory of the gardener and the architect in his interview with Dan Jones - I am a gardener myself), greater depths of fandom were achieved after reading Fire & Blood. If, like GRRM, you too enjoy the way popular history gives breath (albeit not always inconsequential) to legends transformed from historical record,  you will no doubt take pleasure in Archmaester Gyldayn’s retelling of Westerosi history, which details events after the rise of Aegon the Conqueror. Given public reception toward HBO’s season finale of Game of Thrones, it’s a shame time machines do not exist. Hindsight being 20/20,  if Fire & Blood were produced as a prequel series, or even interwoven into the GoT adaptation, the finale might have received a much warmer reception than the guests of the Red Wedding.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if we will get Part II of Fire & Blood around or at the same time as we finally receive Winds of Winter…
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Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

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funny inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.25

There is a part of me that wishes I read a book like this in my college years. The growing pains of life and overall character development of Babalola’s power couple, Scotch and Kai, is inspiringly reflective and honest about the hard truths and persistent effort it takes to become a better person each day. Honey and Spice breezily immerses the reader into an emotional vulnerability boot camp and “How To” guide on holding yourself - and others - accountable to show up as the best version of yourselves. 
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Tanqueray by Brandon Stanton, Stephanie Johnson

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emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Like many others, I was introduced to Stephanie’s story through Brandon’s Humans of New York (HONY) Instagram page. When Brandon announced a book was in the works, I preordered as soon as I could. There were numerous traits that drew me to Stephanie, like her candid sense of humor and refreshing honesty. Stephanie/Tanqueray is an inspiring woman who survived more than most people would experience in a lifetime. Her voice makes you feel closer to her in both a familial sense and proximity, with pages making you lean in like you’re listening to your grandmother recount a shocking story. My only complaint is that I wish the book were longer. 
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The Stand by Stephen King

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adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I chose an interesting time to read this, considering present society is battling a “super flu” of our own. I couldn’t help likening the first two parts to forebodings of Nostradamus
(Naturally, I don’t believe COVID was manufactured as a weapon of biowarfare and turned loose by the military
). I won’t gloss over King’s use of racial slurs and the novel’s nearly complete sanitization of non-White survivors from the plot (it’s glaringly obvious), but I will acknowledge the zeitgeist of the time the book was published (no surprises - this is our parents’s generation, after all). The character tropes that eventually manifest themselves act as devices to further along the plot - chiefly to serve the main protagonists, with little exploration of the personal development afforded to most of the founding Zone members. The point could be made about any PoC almost exclusively, but the same goes for Tom Cullen and Nick. Their “before” story, would have been as insightful as Frannie, Harold, Stu, and Larry - especially considering how key they were to saving every soul in Boulder. Despite how critical I appear, I appreciated the extended edition and can’t imagine reading this through without the sections cut from King’s original manuscript. It’s a worthy cautionary tale, which suggests the answer to a question about humanity I believe we know the truth of deep in our hearts, but continue to hope for despite our record on Earth. Hoping is as natural as breathing for us.
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