booksieandbrackish's reviews
33 reviews

The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss by Margalit Fox

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious medium-paced

5.0

What an incredible story about an incredible historical figure. How is this not a movie?

The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

I might have liked this a lot in middle school/high school, but the writing style is too sophomoric. There’s so much showing, very little opportunity to come to conclusions yourself, and some of the themes feel trite. As a musician some of it made me cringe.

This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This book…everyone should read it. I have no words, she has all of them. Go read.

On Photography by Susan Sontag

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I think this should be required reading for anyone who consumes and engages with social media. Sontag intended this collection to generally address photography as a historical whole, but you cannot help by drawing parallels between her thoughts and how social media has evolved. I have never felt more seen than by this book.

The Folk Tales of Scotland : The Well at the World's End and Other Stories by William Montgomerie

adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

In my opinion folk tales can’t really be rated or appraised. They are a product of history and culture and deserve respect and openness as a result. I think this collection is splendid. We need more stories about Fin.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

To call this book “timely” would imply better and worse times to read these poems. From the moment the United States was stolen and founded to every day thereafter is an appropriate time to read. Gorman demonstrates the cyclical nature of history and human reaction through an incredibly constructed narrative that causes you to stumble over your own assumptions and fall flat on your face. Take the time to read slowly. Absorb it. Then do it again. And again.

The Hike by Drew Magary

adventurous fast-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

2.75

This felt like a knock off Alice in Wonderland with Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy character impersonators. I kept hoping the story would find its footing and maybe I would enjoy it more, but I never felt immersed or pulled in. It was like a child trying to tell a joke they barely understand by means of reciting words and mimicking tone and expression. This is a good first draft that could have used more refinement.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

fast-paced

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

2.0

This book is probably weighted too positively because of the person who gave it to me. Wrong audience. It’s painfully tropey. It reeks of predictability. I’ve seen reviews that say “this isn’t written for me,” and I would agree. So I feel compelled to make allowances for those who would benefit. But even then, I’m generous. I forced myself to finish because I didn’t want any DNF’s this year.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I was forcibly lent this book and politeness dictated I must give it a chance. I checks all the boxes for what I like to read, but I’ve spent a good deal of energy avoiding King. That said, this is my second read of his and it is now officially a favorite book ever.

Whatever reviews are out there about how it ends, I stand firmly in the camp that it was right. Heartbreaking? Yes. But that’s life, so suck it up, buttercup.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

challenging informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.5

I would prescribe this book to anyone at the start of an artistic journey. Whether it be the commencement of a new project, the return after a long sabbatical, or merely the beginning of a new year (as it was for me), this book is a refreshing reset to one’s perspective in the making of art. Whatever your artistic pursuit may be, Rubin speaks like a comfortable teacher reclined in the disorderly studio and connects wherever you may find yourself. He is finite, but his words are whole and connect deeply.