emilybolivia's reviews
583 reviews

Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo by Philippa Leathley

2.5

I love Uncle Rupert and Faith. I didn’t like the way she was treated by her parents, or the premise that she needed to save her dad. Kids need to be told that their parents aren’t their responsibility, not the opposite.

The Talk by Darrin Bell

5.0

Graphic memoirs by talented artists are a niche line that rarely disappoint. Bell’s work is honest, thoughtful, compelling and artfully executed. 

One Of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

3.25

Pretty slow burn plot-wise and then horrifying and speedy at the end. Some of the messages were a little heavy handed, like you’d expect in YA, rather than adult. All in all, a good first adult novel from a YA queen!

Snow by Meera Trehan

3.0

The characters and their development had much more depth than I was expecting for a middle grade novel. My son and I enjoyed reading it together.

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne

3.75

Super cute. I liked it even more than book 1! Ponder might be my favorite non-human side character ever.

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

5.0

Highlights lose their value when you highlight every page, but how can you not highlight every page? This book is so thoughtful and emotional. From beginning to end, a treasure and a challenge.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

4.5

Nice take on a Book 2. We get more world-building and theory. We get great new characters. There is a lot of heavy-handed lecture on laborist revolution that dragged quite a bit but Wu Zeitan is a badass throughout and we love her!

Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business by Roxane Gay

4.25

I liked the way the book was organized. A really nice collection that pays homage to the art of opinion writing. Roxane Gay is so great at writing direct and often brutal honesty with compassion and empathy. I enjoyed the section on her celebrity interviews more than I expected.

James by Percival Everett

5.0

10 stars! This book is everything. It took me an entire day to read the last 20 pages because I didn’t want it to end but I also needed it to end.

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

5.0

Classic Robin Wall Kimmerer, condensed. It is a lovely, challenging, beautiful and motivational quick read. I’m actively looking for ways to cultivate gift economy now; I hope I never get distracted.