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bookish_brain1's reviews
131 reviews
A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
4.0
Probably my favorite book this past month, most excellent, loved it! The author was a finalist for the Pulitzer and this book was on a summer reading list from Obama. The premise follows angsty teens with a disdain for their parents (who hasn't been there, on either side!). I will say, the parents are pretty despicable. I didn't really know anything about it, so reading it was a surprise as things unfolded in ways I did not foresee. The book does take on climate change and religious eschatology. Symbolism runs throughout the novel. Critics found it unrealistic, which I find an interesting critique in a work of fiction, but to each their own. My favorite character was Jack and I loved his interpretations of the stories in the Bible that another parent had gifted him. When asked to summarize the first story, he said "It's like, if you have a nice garden to live in, then you should never leave it." He also claims he solved the riddle of the Bible - "God is a code word meaning nature, and how nature gets misinterpreted, and it's full of symbols, and Jesus is science and the Holy Ghost was art, or all the things people make." The book is hard to describe exactly and not give spoilers, so I'll just say I found it delightful.
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
4.0
I read this book in a book club which included a zoom meeting with John! Let me say, he is simply the best, loved hearing him talk about the book, and I found myself thinking, when did John Green get hot?!? Also, he had Covid! This book is a collection of essays about our human-centered planet, focusing on subjects that John found sublimely interesting or intriguing to think about, but I think what it ended up being was a memoir. These short essays collectively tell the story of John, and it's beautifully moving and heartfelt. He talks about anxiety and depression in ways that felt so real to me and that I've never heard described in this way but yet felt like YES! someone finally gets it. It was poignant and thoughtful, funny and serious. All of the things. At the end of each essay, he gives it a rating, which is completely arbitrary but for some reason just so John Green. If you don't know him, I recommend following him on Tik Tok, Instagram, or Twitter and following him and his brother Hank on YouTube. I discovered them on YouTube and they have both proved invaluable in my homeschooling journey with Ethan. The book is also a podcast, and the audible version is terrific. In his chapter about hot dog eating contests, he drops this nugget "When you have the microphone, what you say matters, even when you're just kidding. It's so easy to take refuge in the "just" of just kidding. It's just a joke. We're just doing it for the memes. But the preposterous and absurd can still shape our understanding of ourselves and one another. And ridiculous cruelty is still cruel." In his chapter on Mario Kart, he talks about structural power ups, like graduating college with no debt or being white, and how these power ups routinely favor those with wealth and privilege which is the single greatest failure of the American democratic ideal. I, like John Green, owe much of my success and privilege to injustice. John goes on to say that "real fairness is when everyone has a shot to win." I love that. There are so many quotable moments in this book, I just want to live in it. I think I could read it over and over again and find something new that will hit me in that sweet spot.
Fated Throne by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham
4.0
Still loving this series, but I really think it could have been condensed into a much smaller series. I have one more book to finish, and then #8 comes out this Christmas. It's definitely a marathon, but I'm still here for it and it's still giving me the
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
3.0
If you're like me, you feel like the 90s was just last year, so it's always kind of a shock to my system when I remember that 1990 was over 30 years ago. I love it when I'm reminded how old I am (said no one ever). This was a fun flashback to my 90s, the decade where I became a wife and mother. I'd forgotten so many things! He covers it all: entertainment, pop culture, sports, music, politics, and big news headlines. It's smartly written and covers everything from Nirvana to O.J. Simpson to Bill Clinton. I learned things I didn't know about the Matrix, among many other things. It's funny and nostalgic and I really enjoyed it!
Flock by Kate Stewart
2.0
This is the first book of the trilogy. Only 2 stars for me because it felt a little low on plot, and even though it was extremely spicy (like
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
3.0
Historical fiction based on a true story about how the Oxford English Dictionary was created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I did love this book, but it's not action packed, so at times felt like it moved a bit slow. The story follows the life of Esme, a young girl raised by her father after the death of her mother. She spends most of her life in the Scriptorium, the room where a group of men decide what words/definitions make it into the dictionary. Esme begins collecting her own words, curious as to why some words, especially those used by women or people from the working/lower classes, are left out of the dictionary. Esme notices that "words used to define women describe our function in relation to others. Even the most benign words - maiden, wife, mother - told the world whether we were virgins or not. What was the male equivalent of maiden?" This book largely takes place during the suffragette movement led by Emmeline Pankhurst. My favorite quote: "Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us. But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded? What effect does that have on the speaker of those words?" Food for thought.
The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham
4.0
This is a 9 book series, but book 8 does not come out until December 2022. As I mentioned previously, this book really is an adult Harry Potter, with lots of spice. I am enjoying this series so much, even if it does make me sometimes want to throw my book against the wall or breaks my heart. It's funny, sexy, magical and dark - a perfect recipe for escapism. These books are not for the faint of heart, they are 500-700 page tomes, so while a very fast read, still quite a commitment.