chaoticbibliophile's reviews
634 reviews

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

This is an interesting one. I don't think it's bad by any means, but it feels like it aligns too perfectly with my personal experience. The first person "theory-brain/lens" queer narrative feels accurate, the protagonist's life and concerns are rendered vividly... so much so, that I feel I'm not experiencing or learning anything new, not gaining any sort of insight. This is, of course, no fault of the book. I'm keeping it for now--maybe I'll want to return to it in a few years (when my English lit uni days feel more far behind me), but for now I think I'll skip it in favour of books that feel more personally fresh and exciting.

Ways of Life by Laura Freeman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

I was really enjoying this at first, but after a while the scope of the biography seemed to shrink to Jim too much. This is a matter of personal taste: unless I really adore the subject, I prefer my biographies to be either a bit more social history or a bit more literary/art/music/etc criticism. Even then, I'd rather have more of a broad scope than simply the story of the subject's comings and goings.

Still, I recommend if you're interested in Jim and Kettle's Yard artists (although if it's more the latter, then you might, like me, be left craving a bit more of the general scene beyond Jim).

All Fours by Miranda July

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Miranda July is such an amazing reader! The book is excellent but I seriously wonder if I would’ve devoured it as I did if she hadn’t been so good. 

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

Ngl, the essay at the end is much more interesting than the novella itself. 

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Did not finish book. Stopped at 92%.

I know I’m so close to the end but the last section has been a slog and I can’t do it anymore.  Three out of the five sections were extraordinary, one was alright, and then this last one is so full of exposition it reads like a treatment for the script of a mid political drama. The smaller intimate moments and nuanced characterization are clearly Shamsie’s strong suit, whereas her  bird’s eye approach to political drama falls short in my opinion.

Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom by Deborah Yaffe
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

This books is very compelling and well written, but I thought it would be more about exploring the Jane Austen fandom as well as exploring fandom generally. It isn't. It's just about Jane Austen fans and fandom, with mostly case studies as the meat of the book. Which is perfectly alright, except I'm no longer as interested in Jane Austen as I used to be, so I think it's best we part ways early on. However, I do recommend it for Austen fans. 

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.

This is NOT a DNF!!! I just want to start it from the beginning to read it in one go, but I want the pages to count towards my page count :D 

Talking About a Revolution by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.

I was already lukewarm on the writing and storytelling aspects, but the essay on crypto threw me over the edge. 

Escape from St Hell by Lewis Hancox

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See by Bianca Bosker

adventurous funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced