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chlonline's reviews
26 reviews
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
breasts and eggs by mieko kawakami does such an amazing job navigating womanhood, motherhood, and everything in between, through the eyes of working class women. the book talks about the concept of childbirth in a way i’ve never seen before, and i mean that in a very good way. kawakami writes SO POETICALLY it moved my heart. i guess it was just a bit too slow-paced for me that it took me quite some time to finish it, but it truly is a work of art. breasts and eggs reminds me so much of a beautiful, melancholic blue summer that just warms my soul.
one of the lines that really stuck with me was when natsuko was talking about the concept of having a child:
It’s not that I want a child. I don’t want them, I don’t want to have them. I want to meet them. My child. I want to meet my child and live with them. But who is it I want to meet? We’ve never met before.
So Sad Today: Personal Essays by Melissa Broder
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
fleabag would love melissa broder
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
reading this book was such an amazing experience! i didn’t expect to like it as much as i did! if i had your face explores the various social structures that affect women, and in turn, how these social structures affect how these women navigate life, love, work, and relationships. the book centers on the friendship of five women living in seoul — ara, kyuri, sujin, miho, and wonna. i especially found kyuri’s story and character most interesting.
however, i did notice a few things: one, the book’s title can be a bit misleading as plastic surgery doesn’t really play that much a role in the other girls’ stories. two, i feel like wonna’s story didn’t really fit in well with those of the other girls, in that case i feel like the book could’ve stretched a few more pages. and three, the book touched on so much social issues without really giving an in-depth discussion on some that at times, it felt like ticking boxes off a checklist.
nevertheless, i THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. frances cha had me hooked from beginning to end and really tickled my soft spot for beautifully complex female friendships 🥲🫂
(originally rated this a 4.5, but i just loved this book so much i couldn’t resist upgrading it to a 5)
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wanted to reach out and shake her by the shoulders. Stop running around like a fool, I wanted to say. You have so much and you can do anything you want.
I would live your life so much better than you, if I had your face.
reading this book was such an amazing experience! i didn’t expect to like it as much as i did! if i had your face explores the various social structures that affect women, and in turn, how these social structures affect how these women navigate life, love, work, and relationships. the book centers on the friendship of five women living in seoul — ara, kyuri, sujin, miho, and wonna. i especially found kyuri’s story and character most interesting.
however, i did notice a few things: one, the book’s title can be a bit misleading as plastic surgery doesn’t really play that much a role in the other girls’ stories. two, i feel like wonna’s story didn’t really fit in well with those of the other girls, in that case i feel like the book could’ve stretched a few more pages. and three, the book touched on so much social issues without really giving an in-depth discussion on some that at times, it felt like ticking boxes off a checklist.
nevertheless, i THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. frances cha had me hooked from beginning to end and really tickled my soft spot for beautifully complex female friendships 🥲🫂
(originally rated this a 4.5, but i just loved this book so much i couldn’t resist upgrading it to a 5)
Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power by Lola Olufemi
feminism, interrupted is an essential feminist read. it perfectly puts into words an intersectional feminist way of thinking, one that isn’t often seen or heard of in the mainstream. it is well-written, concise, and doesn’t just put together a bunch of buzzwords to sound smart — something that most “feminist writers” struggle with. i especially loved the chapters on reproductive justice, complicated consent, and prison abolition.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Justice means everyone. If feminist work is justice work, it must be able to stand up to the complexities of our lives.
feminism, interrupted is an essential feminist read. it perfectly puts into words an intersectional feminist way of thinking, one that isn’t often seen or heard of in the mainstream. it is well-written, concise, and doesn’t just put together a bunch of buzzwords to sound smart — something that most “feminist writers” struggle with. i especially loved the chapters on reproductive justice, complicated consent, and prison abolition.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
keiko is an outcast, a foreigner to society (although not explicitly stated, she’s autistic). however, in a convenience store, where everyone is a convenience store worker and a convenience store worker only, keiko felt safe. or at least she felt like a “normal person,” whatever that may mean.
convenience store woman is a very good short read. it’s very readable, compelling and sometimes ironic in itself. the book as a whole, is a social critique through the eyes of keiko.
personally, it was a short, delightful, and insightful late night read :)
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The tinkle of the door chime as a customer comes in sounds like church bells to my ears. When I open the door, the brightly lit box awaits me — a dependable, normal world that keeps turning. I have faith in the world inside the light-filled box.
keiko is an outcast, a foreigner to society (although not explicitly stated, she’s autistic). however, in a convenience store, where everyone is a convenience store worker and a convenience store worker only, keiko felt safe. or at least she felt like a “normal person,” whatever that may mean.
convenience store woman is a very good short read. it’s very readable, compelling and sometimes ironic in itself. the book as a whole, is a social critique through the eyes of keiko.
personally, it was a short, delightful, and insightful late night read :)
You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages by Carina Chocano
even with outdated references, — the earliest ones being frozen, ghostbusters (2016), and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt, which honestly says a lot — carina chocano provides a good cultural analysis of feminism and how women are portrayed in the media.
some essays are either a hit or miss or maybe just a total miss, but a few favorites are: what a feeling, the ingenue chooses marriage or death, and big mouth strikes again. the introductory essay was also very good. maybe even better than the other essays in the book.
something i wish chocano had talked about in the book was race. there had been several fitting instances where she could’ve brought it up, or at least explored it more, but she didn’t. also, in one of the chapters, she mentions a guy named craig who she had never mentioned before. apparently, craig is her husband. however, she only referred to him as “my husband” in the previous chapters.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
“The girl” doesn’t act, though — she behaves. She has no cause, but a plight. She doesn’t want anything, she is wanted. She isn’t a winner, she’s won. She doesn’t self-actualize but aids the hero in self-actualization.
even with outdated references, — the earliest ones being frozen, ghostbusters (2016), and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt, which honestly says a lot — carina chocano provides a good cultural analysis of feminism and how women are portrayed in the media.
some essays are either a hit or miss or maybe just a total miss, but a few favorites are: what a feeling, the ingenue chooses marriage or death, and big mouth strikes again. the introductory essay was also very good. maybe even better than the other essays in the book.
something i wish chocano had talked about in the book was race. there had been several fitting instances where she could’ve brought it up, or at least explored it more, but she didn’t. also, in one of the chapters, she mentions a guy named craig who she had never mentioned before. apparently, craig is her husband. however, she only referred to him as “my husband” in the previous chapters.
Educated by Tara Westover
educated is definitely one of my best reads this year! Tara Westover is such an amazing writer, and her being a historian really made sense with her writing style.
educated is a heavy and eye-opening read about the power of education, knowledge, and information. it’s especially relevant now that we live in a world where widespread disinformation campaigns start to rewrite the truth.
(though i would’ve liked a more in-depth discussion on how her race has played a role in the opportunities and help she got from the authorities and from other people in her environment.)
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
“If I yielded now, I would lose more than an argument. I would lose custody of my own mind. This was the price I was being asked to pay, I understand that now.
What my father wanted to cast from me wasn’t a demon; it was me.”
educated is definitely one of my best reads this year! Tara Westover is such an amazing writer, and her being a historian really made sense with her writing style.
educated is a heavy and eye-opening read about the power of education, knowledge, and information. it’s especially relevant now that we live in a world where widespread disinformation campaigns start to rewrite the truth.
(though i would’ve liked a more in-depth discussion on how her race has played a role in the opportunities and help she got from the authorities and from other people in her environment.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Animal death