callanisreading's reviews
196 reviews

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

3.0

Since her last memoir, Doyle has reshaped her marriage, faith, and identity; in this most recent installation, she discusses all that she has burned and rebuilt. Through vignettes woven with humor and candor, she imparts wisdom from therapy, religion, and civil rights canon. Her conversational memoir invites readers to join Doyle in a close examination of norms and beliefs, uncovering their own desires in the process.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

4.0

Hiram grapples with the atrocities of enslavement -- the Task -- in a narrative that spans the southern reaches of Alabama to the northernmost plains of New York. From his position as the child of a Black woman and a White man, Hiram reckons with the temptation to submit to the Task and the danger inherent to emancipation. In this thoughtful meditation on intersectional identity, Coates slowly advances his ideas through Hiram's struggle for freedom.

Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz

5.0

In her short story collection, Moniz explores the morbid and the effervescent, the malevolent and the tender. Her characters populate sticky-hot Jacksonville, and though we meet only briefly, we share enough time to learn their nuances and what makes them lovable. Each word earns its place in this gorgeous anthology that scrapes at the pulp of life and finds it to be bittersweet.

The Pit: A Story Of Chicago by Frank Norris

3.0

Wealthy Chicago socialites reveal the norms of their time and the intricacies of wheat trading in this historical drama. Norris pontificates about concerns of the elite, impugning the morality of wheat speculation and pondering the obligations of a reputable wife. Through labored, prejudiced prose, The Pit reveals aspects of urban life that transcend time and tangles with concerns that remain relevant centuries after its writing.

Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers by Arundhati Roy

5.0

In this stunning essay collection, Roy contemplates the threats to Freedom posed by Unity and Progress. Incisive prose exposes political injustices and pushes readers to reexamine their assumptions. At once melancholy and moving, this anthology presents a radical vision of the world that - hopefully - inspires change.

Weather by Jenny Offill

4.0

A librarian prepares for the end of the world, which looms larger than her unraveling personal life. She falls ever deeper into online rabbit holes, using survivalist trivia to parse the world around her. With prose sparse, witty, and incisive, Offill pushes us to ponder what we should fear.

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

4.0

Prose contemplates her namesake in this short course on how to read like writer: namely, with an eye for beauty. She breaks down the elements of successful prose and points readers to examples, often centering classical literature. In lieu of admonishing bad habits, Prose encourages us to emulate the writing that moves us.

The Removed by Brandon Hobson

3.0

Years after a police officer murders their teenaged son, a Cherokee family unravels in their search for acceptance and peace. Each probes for the locus of their pain, reflecting on old traumas and communicating with spirits as a path to closure. Through traditional stories and modern voices, Hobson contemplates a Cherokee heritage of love, grief, and balance that transcends space and time.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

4.0

A ragtag band of rebels captures a mansion of wealthy expats and one opera singer; as the hostage crisis extends, occupants of the estate ponder the meaning of music, time, and life. Jolted into the present by an uncertain future, they revel in small miracles and nurture talents heretofore ignored. With endless wonder and romance, Patchett illustrates that people contain multitudes, if only we would take the time to see.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

4.0

An unexpected pregnancy draws three people together, forcing a reckoning with self-perception, society’s perception, and where the two disconnect. Each ponders their relationship to motherhood, interrogating the ways they nurture and the moments they have longed for care. Peters shines a light on the unthinking assumptions made about motherhood, identity, and love in this pulpy, witty, and tender novel.