baponthecob's reviews
81 reviews

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by S.K. Ali, Aisha Saeed

fast-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

Cute antholgy of middle grade stories centered around muslim characters. Each story was short and sweet, with many overlapping motifs of love, hope, connection/community, and gratitude. There was a mix of lighthearted narratives and those that dealt with heavier topics, such as loss and war, but they all warmed my heart at the end. Everyone can take something away from these stories.

Red Bird by Mary Oliver

reflective

5.0

Mary Oliver's poetry is short and sweet, with clear motifs of appreciating nature and being grateful for the little things (as well as the hurtful things because they allow us to grow). There is also mention of world corruption and how we should not allow it to change us (our human nature) or steal our joy. Despite it all, we should be aware of our privilege and hold love and compassion - for loved ones, animals, nature, strangers, those less fortunate, and for ourselves.

The Door by Magda Szabó

reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

Doomed found family. Two women who love each other, yet hurt each other. The narrator constantly realizes too late the weight and error of her actions, leading to tragedy after tragedy.
There was also thought-provoking symbolism and commentary about WW2, Hungarian politics (unsure of the exact events), and religion. There is an overarching theme that people may be good or bad regardless of background and that they should be judged by their character, not anything else. For example, Emerence practicing the word of God (being a charitable person), despite hating on the church.

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

emotional hopeful inspiring

5.0

The use of "lol" and other colloquial slang was a little cringe, but at the end of the day it left me feeling hopeful that things will get better. I needed this book in 12th grade, but it found me now 5 years later and I can still feel the impact it would have had on me if I had read it back then.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Transphobia, Police brutality

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

the ending wasnt bad but left too much up to the imagination for me. i was a little confused. the entire rest of the book was absolutely phenomenal

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment

Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent

Có Hai Con Mèo Ngồi Bên Cửa Sổ by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

cute, will get back to it

Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create a Better World by Amber Massie-Blomfield

informative inspiring reflective

4.5

Audiobook narration was just okay, but the writing itself was informative and gave lots of great examples of art as a form of resistance, both in history and in modern day. It made me want to create something again.

The Skin You're In: A Collection of Horror Comics by Ashley Robin Franklin

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Freaky and does a great job at connecting themes and motifs of each individual comic to form a cohesive collection

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman

fast-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

3.0

It reads like a fanfiction. We don't learn much about the characters bc the book is way too short for any kind of yearning or development. The writing itself was fine, but there were a handful of typos.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

informative

3.5

For people familiar with white feminism but ignorant to intersectional feminism to learn more about the Black experience. Didn't expand enough about other expereinces (eg. Asian Americans, trans men) and topics (eg. toxic masculinity). Writing throughout the book was quite repetitive.