bobsacoolword's reviews
267 reviews

Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth by Chris Tomlinson, Jason Stanford, Bryan Burrough

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I've grown up in Texas, surrounded by the Alamo-centric history taught the San Antonio and I've never felt more uneducated and more disappointed in our state's education. I think this book is essential reading for anyone that lived through a seventh grade Texas History class because there is so much that we weren't taught. Between this book and the constant pandemic blunders of our state government, it's really hard to not be ashamed on Texas right now.

The Maid by Nita Prose

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The perfect cozy mystery novel, complete with a quirky main character that almost feels familiar to anyone with anxiety. I couldn't put this one down because the main character's oblivion helps to keep you guessing whodunit. The entire time that I was reading it, I could tell that this was going to be the book that every book club I'm in will find itself reading this year. Absolutely incredible debut by Nita Prose. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

This Is Shakespeare: How to Read the World's Greatest Playwright by Emma Smith

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

It’s rare to find a book about Shakespeare that makes his plays feel accessible. This is a great read for anyone who wants to grow their knowledge of Shakespeare, even if you haven’t read the plays yet.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-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

3.0

I almost DNFed this one and I'm glad I didn't. This is a book for bookworms (and anyone who loves romance). I loved the way that literature is used to create a closer connection between characters, but I also loved the way we got to see the main character's opinions on the books mentioned. The ending was wrapped up beautifully.

Read this book and then go send a few bucks to your favorite library.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility and Abandonment

Minor: Death

Heart Seizure: A Novel by Bill Fitzhugh

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 This isn’t my type of book, which is probably why I spent most of the book cycling back and forth between “I can’t put this down” and “I want to DNF this.” I feel like the idea was really interesting but it jumped between point of views and getting to experience each character’s personal inner turmoil became annoying. Between that and random facts about the cost of a highway or a random politic history fact interrupting a slow moving scene, it was easy to lose motivation to keep reading to the end. All in all, this is the type of book I wish I wanted to tell my friends to read, but probably never would out of fear that they wouldn’t enjoy it. 

Dead Dad Jokes by Ollie Schminkey

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 This book took me ten miles on my stationary bike and made for wonderful resistance training. I was only planning to do five but this felt so incredibly healing after a year of so much grief. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

To John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed, I give it 5 stars for making the world feel less lonely for a couple hundred pages. If you grew up reading John Green and want to know which book it reminds me of, it reminded me the most of his brother Hank Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing series. It felt completely unlike the fiction that Green has written, but it read with the comfort of a blog or a really long and vulnerable Instagram caption. It reminded me to celebrate the small things in life that make me really happy, even if they are a little bit flawed.

But for the moments we don't think we want to celebrate, like the pandemic and staying home during it, it was a great reminder that not everything is all bad. Despite everything, there's probably at least one small thing to you can celebrate about it.

Small word of warning: Reading this book may lead to long spirals down Wikipedia rabbit holes.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5.0

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

4.0