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arijwl's reviews
212 reviews
I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book really surprised me! It was beautiful & heartbreaking, but not in a way that felt gratuitous. I loved Jack Jr.’s sense of humor, and the family dynamics deeply resonated with me.
“Fish daddy” ftw! Seriously though I didn’t expect to care about all the characters so much. It was hard to finish because I didn’t want to say goodbye, but the ending was more than satisfying. I was cheesing so hard. My only qualm is that I can’t eat at the restaurant :,)
Oh and Daniel K. Isaac is easily one of the best audiobook narrators I’ve encountered! That man did his thing
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
5.0
I will always love James Baldwin & his works. No exception here! The way Baldwin writes about existence as a Black American & former Christian resonates with me so heavily. The letter Baldwin writes to his nephew is so powerful. And of course the question of whether it’s valuable to integrate oneself into a burning house is timeless.
All in all these are essays I’ll re-read throughout my life fs.
Two of my favorite quotes:
“Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity and fear."
“If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of him.”
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
too cheesy for me but i might revisit this one (chapter 13, audiobook)
The Prospects by KT Hoffman
5.0
Yeah so I LOVED The Prospects. I have this whole thing where in my alternate dream life I’d be some guy on a professional sports team with just the right amount of camaraderie and competitiveness, so uhh this one hit the spot! I just love Gene. I love his passion for baseball. I love how happy he is to be trans and how much affection he has for his family and friends. (Shoutout to Vince, that’s my guy!) I love how Gene deals with the fear of only reaching mediocrity despite being talented. I love how he eventually allows himself to be fully loved by his teammates and Luis.
And oh my god Luis really grew on me with the quickness! He’s so kind, and his anxiety is very well represented. I felt so much excitement as he started to be himself around Luis and go after what makes him happy versus what others expect of him. This book just felt so natural and comforting even when it hurt. It’s steamy too! In a way that I’m not used to seeing in media because trans rep wya?! Chemistry went crazy; I tried and failed to not swoon during a certain jersey scene or two. Oh to be seen by another.
Overall, an easy 10/10. The Author’s note made me honest to god tear up. (Mariner’s mention let’s gooo!! Ahhh I’m just not used to such lovely trans rep that makes me feel so hopeful for my own life as a trans person. Ok I’m done now haha!)
And oh my god Luis really grew on me with the quickness! He’s so kind, and his anxiety is very well represented. I felt so much excitement as he started to be himself around Luis and go after what makes him happy versus what others expect of him. This book just felt so natural and comforting even when it hurt. It’s steamy too! In a way that I’m not used to seeing in media because trans rep wya?! Chemistry went crazy; I tried and failed to not swoon during a certain jersey scene or two. Oh to be seen by another.
Overall, an easy 10/10. The Author’s note made me honest to god tear up. (Mariner’s mention let’s gooo!! Ahhh I’m just not used to such lovely trans rep that makes me feel so hopeful for my own life as a trans person. Ok I’m done now haha!)
The Art and Making of Arcane by Elisabeth Vincentelli
4.0
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful show. All the maps, posters, schematics, etc. were so cool, and I love seeing how much detail went into Arcane. I wish there was more Sevika content, but overall I adored this book. Oh and Jinx’s doodles were a nice touch :)
Inside Voice by Lake Bell
5.0
This audiobook felt more like a podcast, and it was a whole master class! I couldn’t stop gushing about it to friends while I was listening to it. I was pleasantly surprised by the countless interviews with ppl on the street, family, academics, and famous actors/voice actors.
In the most creative and effective way possible, Lake Bell covers everything from the way pitch can inspire confidence to how enunciating the letter “s” seems pretentious to some Spanish speakers. At first I thought this book might be a bit generic, but oml—not at all! I adored it!! Some of my favorite interviews/segments were about: code switching, aave’s origin, the valley girl accent, voices in politics, and trans and gay people’s relationship with voice.
In the most creative and effective way possible, Lake Bell covers everything from the way pitch can inspire confidence to how enunciating the letter “s” seems pretentious to some Spanish speakers. At first I thought this book might be a bit generic, but oml—not at all! I adored it!! Some of my favorite interviews/segments were about: code switching, aave’s origin, the valley girl accent, voices in politics, and trans and gay people’s relationship with voice.
Single Player by Tara Tai
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about Single Player. The premise immediately hooked me, but I found the main character unlikable and didn’t vibe with the pacing of the plot/enemies to lovers relationship. Also, the whole “woe is me, being a nerd is so hard” got old very quickly.
I don’t typically enjoy office romance as a genre (unless it’s the proposal), but I did end up cheesing a lot by the end! Queer poc in the gaming industry doing their thing is a good time fs. Also, Andi and Cat’s chemistry is fr fr off the charts in that last stretch of the book.
The gaming references were fun too. I would *love* to play all the games that were mentioned and thought the dnd scenes were so spot on!
(I’ll admit, I listened to the audiobook & realized halfway through that I probably would’ve enjoyed reading it myself way more, but alas—Libby was taking too long, and I didn’t want to buy the paperback.)
I don’t typically enjoy office romance as a genre (unless it’s the proposal), but I did end up cheesing a lot by the end! Queer poc in the gaming industry doing their thing is a good time fs. Also, Andi and Cat’s chemistry is fr fr off the charts in that last stretch of the book.
The gaming references were fun too. I would *love* to play all the games that were mentioned and thought the dnd scenes were so spot on!
(I’ll admit, I listened to the audiobook & realized halfway through that I probably would’ve enjoyed reading it myself way more, but alas—Libby was taking too long, and I didn’t want to buy the paperback.)
Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
4.0
This book was so wild and weird and made my head spin. (I loved it.)
It turns out I love horror/mystery when it’s mixed with messy familial relationships, Guatemalan archeology/history, and whatever was happening with my girl Candy.
I listened to the audiobook for about 70% of the book, and lemme tell ya—Melissa Lozada-Oliva really brings her characters and the story to life in a way that’s so intoxicating.
Candeleria fr fr kept me on my toes, tugged at my heartstrings, and made me laugh a lot too. (Mostly out of disbelief. I did not know what I was getting into.)
My only complaint—I really didn’t vibe with the ending. I felt like there was just too much going on with the pov switches and multiple plot lines, so I ended up kind of lost/not as engaged in the last stretch of the book despite how much I loved the characters. Overall it was such a worthwhile read tho!!
It turns out I love horror/mystery when it’s mixed with messy familial relationships, Guatemalan archeology/history, and whatever was happening with my girl Candy.
I listened to the audiobook for about 70% of the book, and lemme tell ya—Melissa Lozada-Oliva really brings her characters and the story to life in a way that’s so intoxicating.
Candeleria fr fr kept me on my toes, tugged at my heartstrings, and made me laugh a lot too. (Mostly out of disbelief. I did not know what I was getting into.)
My only complaint—I really didn’t vibe with the ending. I felt like there was just too much going on with the pov switches and multiple plot lines, so I ended up kind of lost/not as engaged in the last stretch of the book despite how much I loved the characters. Overall it was such a worthwhile read tho!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cannibalism
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
5.0
I truly adored Dawn! Octavia Butler is incredible at world building; I was hanging onto her every word and found myself wanting to study the Oankali like it was my day job.
Lilith is such a compelling and relatable protagonist who I felt very protective of throughout the entire book; everything about the oankali is very fascinating but also unnerving. Lore is spectacular. Also, the commentary on humans and our *many* flaws is both spot on and thought provoking without feeling contrived.
Loved this book from start to finish and can’t wait to devour the rest of the series!!
Lilith is such a compelling and relatable protagonist who I felt very protective of throughout the entire book; everything about the oankali is very fascinating but also unnerving. Lore is spectacular. Also, the commentary on humans and our *many* flaws is both spot on and thought provoking without feeling contrived.
Loved this book from start to finish and can’t wait to devour the rest of the series!!