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aserra's reviews
27 reviews
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.25
An incredibly important, thorough, riveting book. Farrow displays a high standard for journalism that I think is not observed often anymore. Engaging writing style. Strong morals--Farrow doesn't just say that he wants the focus to be on exposing this horror in the interest of stopping it, he shows it.
What keeps the book from a solid 5, for me, is a layout choice; it could have been very helpful, I think, to have a list/glossary of the people in the book somewhere, perhaps before or after the bibliography. There's a lot of names, and I, personally, struggled to keep track of everyone (which also augments the repugnance of what is uncovered--so many people impacted, so many people complicit).
What keeps the book from a solid 5, for me, is a layout choice; it could have been very helpful, I think, to have a list/glossary of the people in the book somewhere, perhaps before or after the bibliography. There's a lot of names, and I, personally, struggled to keep track of everyone (which also augments the repugnance of what is uncovered--so many people impacted, so many people complicit).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Cursing, and Gaslighting
oh, you thought this was a date?!: Apocalypse Poems by C. Russell Price
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
5.0
A brilliant book from one of the most brilliant poets of the 21st century thus far. The quality of their poetry is comparable to Elizabeth Bishop, Mina Loy, Frank O'Hara--dare I say even Audre Lorde? Price's metaphors and language soar into a realm of distinction set aside from anything else (which I mean in the most positive way). The organization of the book, with the soundtrack, the rituals, the definitions, is glorious.
Price is a necessary, unapologetic voice bellowing their survivor stories, middle fingers up to those who try to censor and marginalize them. The book's description alerts you to the difficult content with which this deals. Don't say you weren't warned. If you can read the book safely, you absolutely should, and should absolutely not punish it for the productive discomfort it may cause.
Written with love and admiration from a fellow survivor xx
Price is a necessary, unapologetic voice bellowing their survivor stories, middle fingers up to those who try to censor and marginalize them. The book's description alerts you to the difficult content with which this deals. Don't say you weren't warned. If you can read the book safely, you absolutely should, and should absolutely not punish it for the productive discomfort it may cause.
Written with love and admiration from a fellow survivor xx
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Transphobia, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Child abuse, Racism, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Me: Elton John Official Autobiography by Elton John
funny
slow-paced
2.5
The story of Elton John is magnificent, and not at all the reason for the rating. What brings this memoir down is the quality of the writing. I would be very interested to read an Elton John memoir ghostwritten by someone else (most certainly someone who does not write for The Guardian). What should be an inspiring, poignant, humorous tale is instead a slog through the life of a wonderful person.
The pictures are wonderful, though. I will retain my copy for those alone.
The pictures are wonderful, though. I will retain my copy for those alone.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This could've been an average 3-star read were it written better. From a technical standpoint I'm appalled at what the editors and the publisher allowed in the final manuscript. POV is a sloppy mess, switching often from paragraph to paragraph with no indication (e.g. one paragraph is in third person limited, the next is third person omniscient, the next third person limited for a different character). The pages are littered with sentence fragments posing as complete sentences. "Breaking the rules" can be effective, are often effective, but this occurs so often it's distracting, confounding, which the POV issues exacerbate.
(To be clear: I have no doubt as to the Delia Owen's intelligence and mastery; she is a smart, smart and introspective person and I do not mean to insinuate she is anything less than)
Beyond the technical aspects, the content simply does not shine. Unnatural dialogue (even considering the time period) dulls the story and characters. There are many descriptions of the marsh that show what the novel could have been, but isn't.
Additionally, when reading and reflecting on the book, the term "poverty porn" comes to mind. The various forms of poverty in the book all feel sanitized, made palatable and neat for audiences far outside the reality of this socioeconomic positioning.
One note in favor of the novel: I think it is wonderful that a book whereina survivor of attempted SA exacts her own justice outside of a system that would undoubtedly fail and villainize her transcended into the mainstream. In that way, I hope Where the Crawdads Sing is a stepping stone in a very necessary path of progress.
(To be clear: I have no doubt as to the Delia Owen's intelligence and mastery; she is a smart, smart and introspective person and I do not mean to insinuate she is anything less than)
Beyond the technical aspects, the content simply does not shine. Unnatural dialogue (even considering the time period) dulls the story and characters. There are many descriptions of the marsh that show what the novel could have been, but isn't.
Additionally, when reading and reflecting on the book, the term "poverty porn" comes to mind. The various forms of poverty in the book all feel sanitized, made palatable and neat for audiences far outside the reality of this socioeconomic positioning.
One note in favor of the novel: I think it is wonderful that a book wherein
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Classism, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
An aside on cast diversity: I'm not sure why people are marking this as a diverse book when it's an amalgam of white people in North Carolina with two token Black characters.
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
It's a book on the iconic RBG, so automatic points there. However, the writing is simply grossly subpar. I appreciated the annotated excerpts from some of RBG's written decisions and the fun presentation. I could not get over the poor writing, though. There must be a better biography of RBG out there.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Shocked that this book has above a 4-star rating on here. Admittedly, I did enjoy Lisbeth taking more of the spotlight because, frankly, I find Blomkvist boring and tedious. But is Lisbeth compelling enough to salvage a plot that is the equivalent to a Swedish telenovela? Is Lisbeth compelling enough to overlook the increasing hostility towards the queer community in the narrative (to be clear: I don't know if the author or the translator were homophobic, and I don't have any speculations on the matter; there is, however, undoubtedly homophobic and sexist material in tbe novel)? I don't think so. Plop Lisbeth Salander in a plot and cast of characters that can match her caliber, and I'll read that book. I will not be back for any installments in this series, however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia
Moderate: Sexism, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Confinement, and Child abuse
Minor: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Lesbophobia
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Personally, despite a lot of tired tropes and my misgivings, I was intrigued enough by the end to continue to book 2, but that's because I already had it. If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Not much to add that hasn't been said before. To summarize:
- Slow start
- Michael Blomkvist falls into the trope of middle aged white man with suspiciously impressive sexual prowess
- There's a weird amount of description and focus on Salander's body...
- Interesting mystery
- Some people seem to really dislike the writing but, honestly, it's far from the worst I've ever read (it's also far from the best, but it's not terrible y'all)
Personally, despite a lot of tired tropes and my misgivings, I was intrigued enough by the end to continue to book 2, but that's because I already had it. If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Rape, Murder, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Incest, Antisemitism, and Forced institutionalization
Appropriate: A Provocation by Paisley Rekdal
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
In an enganging, non-judgmental way, Rekdal invites audiences to ruminate on topics that may make many uncomfortable. An important read for any creator and any person engaging with media.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cultural appropriation
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A poignant, fundamental story that educates on EOAD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A compelling, easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Is the prose absolutely marvelous? Are the characters particularly stand-out? Is the plot life-changing? No to all, but it's a good book still. Liane Moriarty is a consistent, reliable career writer and storyteller. Nine Perfect Strangers is good to pick up if you're seeking something quick and not too deep, like a pleasant in-and-out hike.
The characters are not meant to be revolutionary and stand-out. The mundane ambiance is very purposefully and expertly employed. Moriarty does a great job at acknowledging the privileges of the main cast, and how a ten day health retreat isn't financially accessible to all.
If I could ask anything more of this book, it would be more overt diversity. While reading, I was picturing several of the characters as POC, but never got confirmation for anyone more than Yao (and Carmel, as it turns out, is not Black or of west or south Asian descent, but Romanian--aside from those two, I don't believe we receive any clues beyond everyone is upper middle class Australian). The inclusion of an explicitly queer character (Lars) was nice. I think Moriarty absolutely has the skill to extend the inclusion of this novel in a normalizing way like she did with Lars, but alas.
Again, a solid book! If I see other Moriarty books about, I'll be sure to pick them up.
Is the prose absolutely marvelous? Are the characters particularly stand-out? Is the plot life-changing? No to all, but it's a good book still. Liane Moriarty is a consistent, reliable career writer and storyteller. Nine Perfect Strangers is good to pick up if you're seeking something quick and not too deep, like a pleasant in-and-out hike.
The characters are not meant to be revolutionary and stand-out. The mundane ambiance is very purposefully and expertly employed. Moriarty does a great job at acknowledging the privileges of the main cast, and how a ten day health retreat isn't financially accessible to all.
If I could ask anything more of this book, it would be more overt diversity. While reading, I was picturing several of the characters as POC, but never got confirmation for anyone more than Yao (and Carmel, as it turns out, is not Black or of west or south Asian descent, but Romanian--aside from those two, I don't believe we receive any clues beyond everyone is upper middle class Australian). The inclusion of an explicitly queer character (Lars) was nice. I think Moriarty absolutely has the skill to extend the inclusion of this novel in a normalizing way like she did with Lars, but alas.
Again, a solid book! If I see other Moriarty books about, I'll be sure to pick them up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Gaslighting, Suicide, Addiction, Confinement, and Cursing