dragonlilly's reviews
203 reviews

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

adventurous dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Very fun and charming! Also cool to have a more in-depth backstory for Inigo, who is the best. The movie definitely enhances the comedy, but it is still very present in the book in a lot of different ways. Good for people who like wry, sarcastic, and deadpan sort of humor. 

Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

Informative, well-written, and easy to understand, Richard Elliot Friedman's insightful work and updated version is founded on the very long-standing documentary hypothesis with logical and compelling research to back it up. It makes a lot of sense that the reason for some of the repetition, sometimes multiple versions of the same story, and even difference in writing styles and language within the Torah, is due to the presence of multiple authors across different periods of time. Context is important in order to more deeply understand the Bible, and more specifically here, the Torah, and it also heightens the experience in a way. As Friedman discusses, we can now view these stories by the authors separately, and see how the authors' backgrounds and time periods affected what they wrote, but we can also view the Torah as a whole that was very elegantly pieces together, weaving the multiple views of God as personal as well as universal. It is also amazing to think that with all of the evidence we have, we might even know who exactly wrote these versions, such as Jeremiah and Ezra, and if not them specifically, then at least someone who followed and worked under them closely. 

Overall, such a great compilation of research that follows the different sources of the Torah as well as their eventual synthesis. 

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

A brilliant memoir written by the very brilliant Bryan Stevenson, describing many cases filled with so much pain, hardship, racial injustice, and needless suffering and death, but while people have the capacity for malice, there are also people like Bryan Stevenson and other supporters that have the enormous capacity for love and kindness. 

This was very informative, with a lot of these cases being heartbreaking and shocking, and there is still an incredible amount of work to be done today to stop injustice. Stevenson makes a clear case for why the death penalty does not lead to any good, not by simply stating why, but by illustrating the terrible effects of it within these stories. As someone who didn't have a real stance on the death penalty, but have felt rage against others I feel have wronged me or have done wrong, I have always reminded myself that I do not know everything, nor do I understand the circumstances these individuals have experienced and are going through. Even if someone has done something terrible, perhaps we are feeding into the same evil by contributing to more death. The death penalty is especially dangerous because is has caused the deaths of countless innocent people, and for that fact alone it is nonsensical to continue to risk lives. Stevenson is very admirable in his effort to bring mercy to individuals broken by life and by the judicial system, and he offers very important information, perspectives, and lessons. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity

Winkie by Clifford Chase

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I could hardly put this book down, it being so engaging, beautiful, clever, and frustrating all at once. Winkie's story is a comically sad analogy for human cruelty, injustice, ignorance, and fear and disgust of the unknown. This aspect of the story was very strong on its own and had me feel real anger and sorrow for what was happening to Winkie along with the understanding that all of these injustices he faces, while seemingly comical in their ridiculousness, are unfortunately realities innocent people have been forced to endure. 

I enjoyed all of the little details that really build Winkie into the wonderful teddy bear with a soul of his own, this also being a tale about a very old bear, all that he had seen, experienced, and all of the people he encountered and loved and lost. At the very end of it all we can come to love Winkie too, because he truly is a very rare bear.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Excrement and Injury/Injury detail

Big Mall: Shopping for Meaning by Kate Black

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

Fairly concise with good research about the mall, along with anecdotes that feel purposeful. Overall, an interesting exploration of the mall as a concept, building, and a part of life which also discusses the Northern American experience.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Blood

The King of the Cats and Other Feline Fairy Tales by John Richard Stephens

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

A delightful collection with a mixture of dark, heartwarming, and fun stories and parables. Many of the stories featured long journeys, old ladies, princesses, romance, and the love of a loyal cat. 

ASAP by Axie Oh

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Lovely sequel, good stuff all around, and still appreciating Axie Oh's writing. Still cute but a little more passionate than Jenny's story, all YA of course. Loved the ending with Sori's mother sticking up for her and for love, and all the scenes at the end were awesome in general. 

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

A town is plagued by odd and unfortunate events all the time, and when the ambassador and his wife Violet arrive, things get stranger and everybody gets a bit more deranged. The story is highly focused on the sensual, and a mix between hatred and desire that is constantly brewing within Elodie for more than one person, alongside with her envy of Violet and everything about her life. Some surprising moments, neat ending, and interesting overall, just didn't love the book. Strangely, I liked the photographer from the letters, Auguste, the most.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.

Unfortunately, I think it was just a bit too YA, and Viola was kind of grating for me. I know the characters will of course have flaws, both of them, but I think I won't be able to get by because I was also not loving the writing either. 

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This book was so, so good, and the characters were just as good for one another. I loved the humor and the romance itself was adorable and had me giddy with smiles. Loved the characters, the families, and connections that were built, and I love that Cat Sebastian put a lot of work into the research of the time period, which revealed in the author's note that I actually learned something new from this book. One of those romances that hit everything in terms of personal taste in comedy, writing, and the romance overall. A soft, sweet, and long romance with a lot of yearning and yet still great pacing.