enby's reviews
71 reviews

Transitions: A Mother's Journey by Élodie Durand

3.25

I wonder how different my life would be if I were careful to come out to my family as trans first before having a conversation about my sexuality. If it would have been easier for everyone. It's hard to empathize with the "woe is me"-ness of the parent of a trans child, and I don't have enough to compare it to with my own experiences in mind because my parents only "know" I'm bi. I've mentioned being nonbinary to them a couple of times, but it hasn't stuck and it's sooooo super totally awesome that they keep it that way. 

Alex saying "I've never let myself down" though... that alone is five stars from me. I would really like to be as brave as him going forward.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.

Too overwhelmed by the density of certain passages; one review said there is satisfaction in indulging in meticulousness but I don't think I can say that as a reader of this book. Maybe if I wrote it I'd feel differently; I do love a good passion project. And I also feel a lot of this was stuff I've explored on different occasions even if not in the same contexts as a Bay Area wasian involved in elite academia and detached artistry.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

Way too daunting for me right now + when I first picked it up last November-ish. Maybe I would have paused and come back to it later if I hadn't already spoiled it for myself, but also I can't help wanting more from what's been presented this far into the book. Still impressive for Gyasi having written this at my age, though; she has her flowers.

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

4.0

This garnered a lot of crying out of me (granted I was distracted by my own thinking, loneliness and grief, which means some passages were more triggering than moving). I do still enjoy stream of consciousness but I'm starting to have less patience and discipline for disjointed narratives. Beautiful nonetheless, was glad to experience it.

Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

i do like his writing style but it's overdue at the library!!! college wants me so bad...

The Incest Diary by Anonymous

Reads very much like this person had to get it out there in whatever form possible. Not with urgency, yet with the hope of not being alone in it all the same

No One Writes Back by Jang Eun-Jin

4.25

Not what I expected, but still an appropriate meditation on loneliness and connection. The translation must have been a task to do it justice because there are some things in here that I can't imagine are comparable to any Western author (wonderfully so). I did cry because it reflected some of my ongoing woes, but I'm unsure it would have hit the same if these things were resolved in my life. It was also like reading an early 00s slice-of-life Korean movie I've seen before lol. Bong Joon-ho's Barking Dogs Never Bite, specifically.

Felinity: An Anthology of Illustrated Cats from Around the World by Victionary

4.0

Didn't love the writing. But great layout design and range of cat artists!

Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

They'll let anybody be a New York Times bestseller and Forbes 30 Under 30 :/

So Long Sad Love by Mirion Malle

2.75

No new ideas. I'm silly bc I thought it'd be a story about a trans person and their long-time partner coming to terms w themselves as a couple and as individuals with a happy ending based on the jacket description and the cover art (re: my delusional projection). Anyway guess I have to write something like that myself. And in my defense, the barcode covered the first part of the description and I didn't bother Googling it because I wanted it to be a surprise and let the vibe speak for itself