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bashsbooks's reviews
241 reviews
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Vicious is such a dark joyride of a book. It's got everything - women who are the most powerful people around, homoerotic friends-to-enemies, a hulking sidekick who is more brains than brawn, disability rep, an incredible and satisfying solution to the central conflict. I love the jumping around in the narrative, and the way EOs manifest their powers is super thought-provoking. I don't want to say too much, because I think this book is better the less that's known about what happens, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Can't wait to read Vengeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, and Alcohol
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Sequels are difficult. In my experience, they're rarely as good as the original.
I am delighted to report that is not the case with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. It's as fun and heartwarming as its predecessor, while maintaining equally high stakes. Klune has a real talent for writing children, that shines throughout both books in this series thus far. And I think he learned from the heavy-handedness that I noted when I read The House In the Cerulean Sea, as this book strikes a better balance and allows for a bit more diversity of opinion and respectful disagreement.
Oh, and I still love Lucy so much, he's probably one of my favorite characters ever.
I am delighted to report that is not the case with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. It's as fun and heartwarming as its predecessor, while maintaining equally high stakes. Klune has a real talent for writing children, that shines throughout both books in this series thus far. And I think he learned from the heavy-handedness that I noted when I read The House In the Cerulean Sea, as this book strikes a better balance and allows for a bit more diversity of opinion and respectful disagreement.
Oh, and I still love Lucy so much, he's probably one of my favorite characters ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Gaslighting
That Way Madness Lies by Ibi Zoboi, Dahlia Adler, Patrice Caldwell, Kiersten White, Samantha Mabry, Brittany Cavallaro, Joy McCullough, Melissa Bashardoust, Lindsay Smith, Anna-Marie McLemore, Austin Siegemund-Broka, Tochi Onyebuchi, Emily Wibberley, Mark Oshiro, A.R. Capetta, Lily Anderson, K. Ancrum, Cory McCarthy
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
That Way Madness Lies is a fine short story collection. Its contributors run the gamut of popular YA authors. They all have a treasured Shakespeare play or poem that they reimagine. It's a neat project. I was neither disappointed nor wowed by the results. I would say the text message version of Romeo & Juliet was my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Antisemitism, and Car accident
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
A Two-Spirit Journey fills a critical gap in lesbian and Indigenous literature. Chacaby's story - related in simple and direct language - takes the reader through her story more or less chronologically, up to 2014 when it was published. Though it was difficult to read at times due to the hardships Chacaby has suffered, she shared great wisdom and perservance with her readers.
I also found the endnote about how the autobiography was constructed at the end to be very informative.
I also found the endnote about how the autobiography was constructed at the end to be very informative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury
-Homelessness
The Porch (As Sanctuary) by Jae Nichelle
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Nichelle is an incredible poet.
I read and thoroughly enjoyed God Themselves, so imagine my joy when I received The Porch (As Sanctuary) as a birthday gift. This is Nichelle's first chapbook, and it does show - I can see how they've grown into their voice between this collection and God Themselves. Some of the poems are a bit heavy-handed and could be further refined. But damn, if it isn't a great debut. I doubt I could make a better first chapbook.
Favorite poems: "The First Porch I Pass," "Things I Do Not Say To God," "The Porch (As Hair Salon)," "Is Woken Up At 6AM On Saturday Because I 'Left All Them Damn Dishes In The Sink'," "Why We Only Had A Family Reunion Once," and "A Letter To Mrs. Butterworth".
(Also the cover is even more striking and gorgeous in person!)
I read and thoroughly enjoyed God Themselves, so imagine my joy when I received The Porch (As Sanctuary) as a birthday gift. This is Nichelle's first chapbook, and it does show - I can see how they've grown into their voice between this collection and God Themselves. Some of the poems are a bit heavy-handed and could be further refined. But damn, if it isn't a great debut. I doubt I could make a better first chapbook.
Favorite poems: "The First Porch I Pass," "Things I Do Not Say To God," "The Porch (As Hair Salon)," "Is Woken Up At 6AM On Saturday Because I 'Left All Them Damn Dishes In The Sink'," "Why We Only Had A Family Reunion Once," and "A Letter To Mrs. Butterworth".
(Also the cover is even more striking and gorgeous in person!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Cursing and Infidelity
-Police apathy
You Will Not Have My Hate by Sam Taylor, Antoine Leiris
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
You Will Not Have My Hate is a poetic reflection on a violent, sudden, and tragic loss. Leiris invites the reader in to his world (and his son's) after losing beloved wife and mother Hélène to the November 2013 terrorist attacks. Leiris has such a fine and visceral way of describing grief, of showing how he felt it so acutely. I was most taken by the part where he asks if he will have the right to be a complex and nuanced person after this tragedy and the subsequent popularity of his Facebook post addressed to the culprits.
If I had one criticism, it would be that at times, Leiris seems to refer to his wife as if she were a lost possession of his and Melvil, or to suggest that his grief was somehow greater than that of her other close loved ones, like her mother. I don't know if that's a translation thing or what. But it struck me as awkward, and it happened more than once.
If I had one criticism, it would be that at times, Leiris seems to refer to his wife as if she were a lost possession of his and Melvil, or to suggest that his grief was somehow greater than that of her other close loved ones, like her mother. I don't know if that's a translation thing or what. But it struck me as awkward, and it happened more than once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
-Terrorism
Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots?: Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification, and the Desire to Conform by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
What makes a good essay collection? I think it starts with clarity of theme, and I don't only mean on the curation side of things. Something I really like about Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? is that Sycamore (editor) opens the collection with an introduction that clearly conveys to readers its purpose and why all these essays are together in one place. Bonus points for the thematic string being broad and complex enough to produce a number of thoughtful and creatively-distinct pieces.
This thematic string is, of course, how inter-queer relationships are often hateful, violent, and/or shame-riddled, despite our supposedly shared community and struggle. I resonated with some pieces more than others, but overall, they gave me quite a bit to think about regarding respectability politics and equality goals (not that important), rooting out ableism, transphobia, and racism within the community (extremely important), and having lots of weird sex (critical).
My favorite essays were: Death by Masculinity (Ali Abbas), Penis Is Important For That (Nick Clarkson), Straightening the Shawl (Ezra RedEagle Whitman), It Gets Better? (Matthew D. Blanchard), Generations (Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore), Cell Block 6 (Mishael Burrows), Something Resembling Power (Kristen Stoeckeler), and Rich Man's War, Poor (Gay) Man's Fight (Larry Goldsmith).
This thematic string is, of course, how inter-queer relationships are often hateful, violent, and/or shame-riddled, despite our supposedly shared community and struggle. I resonated with some pieces more than others, but overall, they gave me quite a bit to think about regarding respectability politics and equality goals (not that important), rooting out ableism, transphobia, and racism within the community (extremely important), and having lots of weird sex (critical).
My favorite essays were: Death by Masculinity (Ali Abbas), Penis Is Important For That (Nick Clarkson), Straightening the Shawl (Ezra RedEagle Whitman), It Gets Better? (Matthew D. Blanchard), Generations (Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore), Cell Block 6 (Mishael Burrows), Something Resembling Power (Kristen Stoeckeler), and Rich Man's War, Poor (Gay) Man's Fight (Larry Goldsmith).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Medical content and War
Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice by Cristina Rivera Garza
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Liliana's Invincible Summer is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. When the Mexican justice system fails to produce the file pertaining to Liliana's murder - let alone bring her killer to justice - Rivera Garza uncovers her long-dead sister's voice through letters, notes, journals, and testimonies of friends and family. The two sisters' voices become braided together in the process, speaking in a complicated tangle of love and grief. I constantly thought of my own sister, who is barely older than Liliana was, while I read this, and several times, I had to stop to cry. It's a haunting account of how intimate partner violence escalates, and how the signs are often missed by a society misogynistic and desperate to blame the victim. It surpasses Rivera Garza's goal, which was to recreate the missing file, by far - the detail and care put into this book is beyond what a coldly professional report could muster, of that I'm certain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Abortion
Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Excrement, and Toxic friendship
-Death of sibling
-Implications of necrophilia
Transgenesis by Ava Nathaniel Winter
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Transgenesis is a gripping and captivating poetry book. It's difficult to write about the kind of subject matter that Winter does - antisemitism, the Holocaust, transmisogyny - without getting overly morose. But Winter has the skill and the precision to hit right at the heart of this issues, strike the emotional chord, and let it sing without wallowing. And her notes provide important context, but they're not explaining the poems themselves. Can't wait to read more from her in the future.
As usual, a list of my favorite poems from the collection: Puławy, Lucky Jew, WWII German SS Division Soup Spoon "800 Silver" $250, Hitler Youth Dagger RZM M7/13 $550 FIRM, A Brass Band Heralds the Institute's Destruction, and To a Jazz Singer.
As usual, a list of my favorite poems from the collection: Puławy, Lucky Jew, WWII German SS Division Soup Spoon "800 Silver" $250, Hitler Youth Dagger RZM M7/13 $550 FIRM, A Brass Band Heralds the Institute's Destruction, and To a Jazz Singer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, and War
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Agnes Grey is a fine book. It's not exceptional, it's not the worst, it's just fine. There are lots of things I enjoyed about it - a real strength of Brontë's, for example, is her descriptive prowess. I especially loved the description of the walk on the beach at the end, right before she reunites with her beau and dog. But Agnes is a fairly boring narrator. There's not much of interest a good clergyman's daughter can bring to a story, and her supreme judginess toward everyone else gets tiresome quickly. Like yeah, yeah, we get it, rich people are assholes. What else is new? It's a little funny how manners keep her from being anywhere near direct about this to the Murrays, but not funny enough hinge an entire novel on.
When I was about halfway through Agnes Grey, I commented to my partner that I felt bad for Anne Brontë that Agnes Grey was originally published as the third of a three-volume set, with the first two volumes being her sister's Wuthering Heights. I read the two back-to-back in that same order, and I think I would've thought Agnes Grey better without the comparison.
When I was about halfway through Agnes Grey, I commented to my partner that I felt bad for Anne Brontë that Agnes Grey was originally published as the third of a three-volume set, with the first two volumes being her sister's Wuthering Heights. I read the two back-to-back in that same order, and I think I would've thought Agnes Grey better without the comparison.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Toxic relationship