arcalumens's reviews
196 reviews

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

adventurous challenging funny slow-paced

3.0

This has been on my backlog since college. I bought it for an English course I took and we never got around to actually reading the book in the semester and I've held on to it all that time. I believe the reason our professor had assigned it to us was due to the attention to detail and the research into whaling.

Y'all I think Melville did a lot of research before writing this book. Just a bit.

Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia by Jake Richards

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

A nice lengthy read of Southern/Appalachia magic. I expected it to break apart at times for recipes and workings but most of those were put at the back, which was a perfect way to read them. I know it's a well respected book in the witchcraft community, and I  see why. The care and love the author has for his community and background is evident in the writing, not common in the rushed trendy books coming out these days. This is a real handbook of a particular sect of magic, the real thing.

A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire by Sai Gaddam, Ogi Ogas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.

I figured there'd be more to it than just citing study after study.

Chinglish by David Henry Hwang

3.5

Not as good as Yellowface but funny, still

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

3.5

Mouse Guard, Labyrinth and Other Stories by Royden Lepp, David Petersen, Ian Herring, Adam Smith, Ramón Pérez, Megan Hutchison, Rebecca Taylor, Sean Rubin, Tom Hammock, Kyla Vanderklugt

2.5

Depression Journal: Daily Check-In: 75 Days of Reflection Space to Track and Understand Your Symptoms by Missy Beck MA LMFT

3.0

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

3.75

I remember hearing about this book and not knowing anything about the oil sands made it seem like they were drowning people for money but the people employed had no other income streams and just had no choice but to drown people. 

Certainly there were negatives and positives, the misogyny, the sexual abuse, the way the loneliness crept up on the men and made them into a different sort of person, the way these people needed to make money to send home but lost all that time with their families versus the camaraderie and looking out for each other and the pay but unfortunately all the negatives are things that crop up with humans any sort of where.

I also appreciated the nuance as the book goes on as Katie starts to be changed herself by her time in the sands, hearing the vitrol in the comments from people back home, where she would so desperately love to be if she didn't need the money and how awkward it feels to make money somewhere else and take jobs from the locals because you yourself can't find jobs closer to your home.

A thoughtful graphic novel that deserves to be with other classics of their time.

Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

3.5

Really strange to listen to the voices the narrator chooses for Roger and Eddie after growing up with the movie. I really like this as an alternate universe look at these characters (apparently this one gets retconned in the next book), and it was an enjoyable quirky noir that was maybe too predictable.

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

I enjoyed the show so much that I thought I'd like the book, but the writing is more romance light than I expected from the topics. None of the best parts in the show hit the same in the book but I guess I'm grateful that this existed first, if only so the show exists.