dmichb's reviews
94 reviews

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

adventurous funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

Casey McQuiston is always incredible, and this was such a fun YA piece from them! 

A little John Green-esque only better because it’s gay and there’s no guy romanticizing his idea of a girl. 

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Who knew there was so much f*cking in Wicked!!?!

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Oh boy. This book had potential but the writing itself wasn’t great. The notes from the author at the back of the book did help contextual some things/answer some lingering questions but overall I still think that it could have been wrapped up waaaay better.  

The bigger issue, however, is that there were some choices that felt pretty racist and otherwise problematic. Once I realized where the author is from it all clicked. Ick. 

Bad writing and a waste of time! Read something else!!!!  

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

Cute and unique and queer! What else does one need! Perfectly cheesy and fun to read. 

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This one took me a while to finish, in part because it is sort of stream-of-consciousness (dialogue is not separated or marked by quotations), which my dyslexic brain struggled with at times. The other contributing factor is that the prose is so detailed and gripping—you don’t want to miss a thing.

This is really an incredible and visceral book. I am in awe of the story crafting and the ride it takes you on, while weaving in very real situations. My only question is why didn’t the author give Fanon a little shoutout since there are mentions of other theorists, but I digress. Absolutely worth a read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Obviously if you read the synopsis it is clear this book will talk about war and violence, but there is also a detailed depiction of rape near the end of the book so be forewarned.

Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad by Hil Malatino

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This was such an incredible read. A modern and fascinating take on Affect Theory that is wholly necessary. As a trans person this was also very affirming and relatable. Much to chew on! 

The Contemporary Reader of Gender and Fat Studies by Amy Erdman Farrell

informative medium-paced

4.0

This is a great primer for folks interested in learning about fat studies, especially fat studies and gender studies. Expansive but still informative and opens many doors for further exploration. 

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver

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? It's complicated

3.25

An easy read. Some layers of heavier things especially if you are queer; still has fun classic romance tropes and cute shit going on! 

Unshrinking by Kate Manne

informative fast-paced

3.0

I can appreciate much of what Manne was trying to do but philosophers can be problematic and I wasn’t very moved by her arguments—not because I disagree with their premise, but because I felt they didn’t go far enough and are not politically salient beyond the individual. It’s strange because she cites some of my favourite folks, like Da’Shaun Harrison, but I was left wondering if she really took the message from them? 

I think this book would be helpful for some folks and a good entry point (for some) re: fatphobia, but for me (somebody writing a PhD diss on fat studies), it was not as robust or radical as I’d hoped for.