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authorannafaundez's reviews
158 reviews
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. There's really not too much more to say.
This book was heartbreaking. It was honest. It was real. It is 100% worth reading, for everyone. Either as a way to glimpse a life, glimpse part of someone else's experience, or understand your own.
McCurdy did an incredible job as narrator.
This book was heartbreaking. It was honest. It was real. It is 100% worth reading, for everyone. Either as a way to glimpse a life, glimpse part of someone else's experience, or understand your own.
McCurdy did an incredible job as narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Cancer, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Addiction, Vomit, and Alcoholism
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
I didn't really enjoy the previous book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, but I figured I'd give this one a shot before calling it quits.
Really it's more of the same. No real connection to the other books and no real character arcs. So I'm stopping now.
Really it's more of the same. No real connection to the other books and no real character arcs. So I'm stopping now.
Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Took over 50% of this book for it to pick up. It kept repeating itself over and over too, which lengthened it more.
All the family connections didn't feel cobbled together, per se, but there's still an unbelievable, not-quite-right, quality to the family tree. That, and it was painfully obvious who was a descendant of whom long before the reveal. However, for that, the book gets a pass from me, because it's for kids.
Overall, I struggled a bit through this one due to how repetitive it was, and it didn't seem to advance the series.
All the family connections didn't feel cobbled together, per se, but there's still an unbelievable, not-quite-right, quality to the family tree. That, and it was painfully obvious who was a descendant of whom long before the reveal. However, for that, the book gets a pass from me, because it's for kids.
Overall, I struggled a bit through this one due to how repetitive it was, and it didn't seem to advance the series.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Bit weird, this one. Kinda like if The Magic School Bus had a religiously overtoned episode with an angel playing Ms. Frizzle. Not that A Wrinkle in Time wasn't also like that, but A Wind in the Door was less subtle about it.
I feel like I finished this book more confused than anything else. Not because I didn't understand the plot, but I had more of a "where is L'Engle going with this" after the events of the first book. The antagonistic force in this book wanted very different things than the antagonist in the first book. So I'm wondering how those are going to connect or, potentially, clash against one another in the future. The stakes would've been higher in A Wind in the Door if the reader had been given a reason for the imminent decline and death of a character. Instead, L'Engle just shrugs and says "just 'cause."
Overall, I still liked the book. Good descriptions, great explanations for typically difficult concepts (especially for kids,) and a new character to round out the cast of children a bit better.
I feel like I finished this book more confused than anything else. Not because I didn't understand the plot, but I had more of a "where is L'Engle going with this" after the events of the first book. The antagonistic force in this book wanted very different things than the antagonist in the first book. So I'm wondering how those are going to connect or, potentially, clash against one another in the future. The stakes would've been higher in A Wind in the Door if the reader had been given a reason for the imminent decline and death of a character. Instead, L'Engle just shrugs and says "just 'cause."
Overall, I still liked the book. Good descriptions, great explanations for typically difficult concepts (especially for kids,) and a new character to round out the cast of children a bit better.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've loved this book since I first read it as a child, and I come back to it every now and then as an adult. I love how L'Engle emphasizes uniqueness as strength: "like and equal are not the same."
I know this book was written in a time when the fears of communism were rampant in the world, forced sameness and the death of the individual. And while A Wrinkle in Time is essentially about that, L'Engle spins those fears into strengths that a child can understand. I always finish this book feeling hopeful and glad of my uniqueness. I hope you do too.
I know this book was written in a time when the fears of communism were rampant in the world, forced sameness and the death of the individual. And while A Wrinkle in Time is essentially about that, L'Engle spins those fears into strengths that a child can understand. I always finish this book feeling hopeful and glad of my uniqueness. I hope you do too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Confinement
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Too much for me once the gore started. Literally felt sick. I was uncomfortable before in a few spots, but just...nope. I'm out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Classism, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, and Torture
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Weird book. Interesting ending.
Sometimes the book was sexual in a creepy, very uncomfortable way. The MC thinks about/considers sexual assault way too many times. The book treats sex as if it's entirely necessary for human male survival and that an adult has difficulty controlling himself, which . . . 1954 writing, I guess. It's not a good look. Didn't age well.
The science aspect is super far-fetched, which is sometimes OK. Suspension of belief is necessary for sci-fi and fantasy. But how fast Neville learns the science terminology is unbelievable with how specific the book gets. And that extreme specificity is where the problem is. Knowing words and general info is one thing, but true comprehension, study and experimentation is another. Either more mistakes needed to be made or more uncertainty about his theories would help that, I think. A simple time skip with a basic overview of what happened would have also been beneficial.
And then, when there finally was a time skip, it glossed over every single advancement/mistake/learning opportunity and ran straight for the plot, abandoning character growth.
Side note: I hope the movie I Am Legend (2007) said it was "inspired by" and not "based on" the 1954 novel. Because this book and that movie are different at their cores and by plotline.
Sometimes the book was sexual in a creepy, very uncomfortable way. The MC thinks about/considers sexual assault way too many times. The book treats sex as if it's entirely necessary for human male survival and that an adult has difficulty controlling himself, which . . . 1954 writing, I guess. It's not a good look. Didn't age well.
The science aspect is super far-fetched, which is sometimes OK. Suspension of belief is necessary for sci-fi and fantasy. But how fast Neville learns the science terminology is unbelievable with how specific the book gets. And that extreme specificity is where the problem is. Knowing words and general info is one thing, but true comprehension, study and experimentation is another. Either more mistakes needed to be made or more uncertainty about his theories would help that, I think. A simple time skip with a basic overview of what happened would have also been beneficial.
And then, when there finally was a time skip, it glossed over every single advancement/mistake/learning opportunity and ran straight for the plot, abandoning character growth.
Side note: I hope the movie I Am Legend (2007) said it was "inspired by" and not "based on" the 1954 novel. Because this book and that movie are different at their cores and by plotline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence, Rape, Animal death, and Child death
Crank Palace by James Dashner
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My first audiobook! I am a distractable chipmunk. That's all there is to it; I zone out, I think about other things, and I get too focused on what I'm doing instead of even paying semi-attention to what I'm listening to. So, no more fiction audiobooks for me. I miss too many details; I catch the important bits, and I'll know the gist of what's going on, but that's not enough to make me happy. I'll see how audiobooks go for nonfiction instead.
Anyway, I still liked the story here! (What I actually managed to absorb, anyway.) I listened to this right after reading The Maze Cutter, so I had more context for this story after rereading The Maze Runner series prior to that. Digging into Newt's state of mind and what really happened after Thomas and Co. left him felt terrible, but in a good way. Though I do wish we'd gotten the scene where Thomas and Newt meet again. The ending was abrupt because we didn't.
Anyway, I still liked the story here! (What I actually managed to absorb, anyway.) I listened to this right after reading The Maze Cutter, so I had more context for this story after rereading The Maze Runner series prior to that. Digging into Newt's state of mind and what really happened after Thomas and Co. left him felt terrible, but in a good way. Though I do wish we'd gotten the scene where Thomas and Newt meet again. The ending was abrupt because we didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Police brutality
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I liked this book. But I also didn't. Story-wise, it was slow and grueling and sad. Just as a book like this is expected to be. None of those adjectives are a negative.
There were odd choices in the formatting: no quotation marks when someone spoke, not always new paragraphs when someone spoke, extremely long paragraphs with no breaks besides scenes, and a strange aversion to commas. There were huge numbers of run-on sentences and fragments. These choices made the book skip a bit like an old record, or like a shopping cart bouncing over potholes.
The prose itself was excellent, but sometimes the poetry of it acted as a distraction. McCarthy seemed to struggle somewhat with a balance between experimental writing and readability. Sometimes the balance was perfect. Sometimes it was not. There was no connector between these times of "not" either, such as theme, mood, or memory.
I understand the why of the artistic style and formatting choices though: it's meant to slow you down, keep you a little disoriented and just off-step, to force the reader into the desired mood and the same patterns as the two main characters. It's done well. Really well.
Really, the formatting and readability--the way this book is written will definitely turn a fair amount of readers away--are the only reasons I gave the book less than 5 stars, because it drove me a little crazy sometimes too. But if you're up for a challenge and in the mood to be sad, I encourage giving this book a try.
There were odd choices in the formatting: no quotation marks when someone spoke, not always new paragraphs when someone spoke, extremely long paragraphs with no breaks besides scenes, and a strange aversion to commas. There were huge numbers of run-on sentences and fragments. These choices made the book skip a bit like an old record, or like a shopping cart bouncing over potholes.
The prose itself was excellent, but sometimes the poetry of it acted as a distraction. McCarthy seemed to struggle somewhat with a balance between experimental writing and readability. Sometimes the balance was perfect. Sometimes it was not. There was no connector between these times of "not" either, such as theme, mood, or memory.
I understand the why of the artistic style and formatting choices though: it's meant to slow you down, keep you a little disoriented and just off-step, to force the reader into the desired mood and the same patterns as the two main characters. It's done well. Really well.
Really, the formatting and readability--the way this book is written will definitely turn a fair amount of readers away--are the only reasons I gave the book less than 5 stars, because it drove me a little crazy sometimes too. But if you're up for a challenge and in the mood to be sad, I encourage giving this book a try.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Cannibalism, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Blood
Animal Farm by George Orwell
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
An incredible view into what happens when gaslighting meets censureship, ignorance, intolerance.
Of course, Orwell's Animal Farm is a commentary on Russian politics and practices during the 1940s, but they still apply to today's world. More-so, I'd say, in the age of the internet which gives access to nothing for those who cannot think critically and everything for those who can.
Of course, Orwell's Animal Farm is a commentary on Russian politics and practices during the 1940s, but they still apply to today's world. More-so, I'd say, in the age of the internet which gives access to nothing for those who cannot think critically and everything for those who can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Slavery, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death