capy's reviews
242 reviews

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

3.0

It is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality.

interesting + weird collection; as someone who avoids blurbs, the title created a hopeful expectation for the book that i had to shake off — this is not a happy book!!! the stories are solid, never felt like a story needed more (maybe sometimes it needed less); 'peking duck' is definitely the highlight. ling ma feels like a trustworthy go-to author for a good weird time, will get to 'severance' as soon as i'm in the mood for a dystopian vibe

los angeles: ★★✰✰✰.5
oranges: ★★★✰✰.5
g: ★★★✰✰.5
yeti lovemaking: ★✰✰✰✰
returning: ★★★✰✰.5
office hours: ★★✰✰✰
peking duck: ★★★★✰ 
tomorrow: ★★★✰✰

A boy, at best, can adore his mother, but a girl can understand her. When the doctor told me it was a girl, I thought, Now I will be understood. 

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

2.0

Why am I trying to become what I don't want to be... when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am.

has that "almost there" feeling that never fully arrived at the peak imo; much like other older works that are stepping stones for plays today

Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung

2.25

nour... favorite story was 'a song for sleep' and 'to meet her'; otherwise, this was just okay for me... don't think i'm a big fan of the last minute plot twists as a hail mary to make everything else interesting

Foster by Claire Keegan

3.0

Where there’s a secret,’ she says, ‘there’s shame – and shame is something we can do without.

even if i haven't fully connected with claire keegan's writing style so far, it is easy to recognize what a talented writer she is

Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados

5.0

felt like this book was made for me sometimes... marlowe granados, you are the future

Winter by Ali Smith

2.75

That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again. An exercise in adapting yourself to whatever frozen or molten state it brings you.  

ali smith is a master at fleshing out the brain of a character for us blessed readers to follow! i can't say winter is at the same level as autumn for me — there were running jokes that got boring to me (lux being "dumb", celebrities passing) but you can definitely still find fun anecdotes as you read. perhaps disliking most characters made it hard to care about wherever the story is going. i essentially got through the book to know what ali smith would come up with next, in what way would she express a certain character's specific world view in a moment in time

The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

4.0

felt exposed when i read this line on the book's wikipedia page: "Gogol was playing on the assumptions of readers, who may happily seek absurd stories but at the same time still want a normal explanation." oof... more often than not, i am that reader... regardless, this was silly, entertaining and the definition of a light read when it comes to classics

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

3.5

the watercolor-kind of illustrations were a great accompaniment to the heartbreaking prose, may they rest in peace

Finding Me by Viola Davis

4.5

I can clearly see the Lord’s face, staring at me, taking me in and saying, “You never thanked me for creating you as YOU."

loved this raw meditation on the life of viola davis with viola davis, written, directed and produced by viola davis, viola davis you are viola davis. every chapter is intentional, heartfelt, truly like a hero's journey, elevated with a wonderful purposeful ending. deeply resonate with how present with her emotions the author, viola davis, is — normalize crying without judging

 “Yes, chile! That’s right. There’s a party going on right here because I’m dancing to the music of the madness in me. That’s why every time I walk down the street, my hips sashay from side to side because I’m dancing to the music of the madness in ME! And here all this time I thought we had given up our drums. But now still got ’em. They’re here. In my walk, my dress, my style, my smile, and my eyes. They’re inside here connecting me to everything and everyone that ever was. So . . . honey don’t try to label or define me, cuz I’m not who I was ten years ago or ten minutes ago. I’m all of that and then some. And whereas I can’t live inside yesterday’s pain, I can’t live without it.” 

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

4.5

Mama, I made it
out of your home
alive, raised by
the voices
in my head.

by far my favorite collection i've ever had the pleasure to read. maybe it's that we don't notice the microchanges in ourselves but it is rare that i read poetry books where i take something from every single poem in it. warsan shire, you are forever talented!