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estellegodard's reviews
273 reviews
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
really well documented and organized book on the authors trauma and the way she has attempted to overcome it. I particularly enjoyed the portions of the book when she links mental illness to genetics & physical health. the author is candid about her traumatic experiences and her shortcomings which made for a very impactful reading experience. I was particularly touched by chapter 42.
I didn’t like the sections where she transcribes her conversation with her psychologist. in the audio book, portions of the audio are directly added to the book. I appreciate the idea of including the primary source material in this instance, but to me it made it harder to follow and took me out of the listening experience that the author had established.
overall, I learned a lot through this book about complex ptsd and the way childhood trauma can leave lasting scars on the body.
I didn’t like the sections where she transcribes her conversation with her psychologist. in the audio book, portions of the audio are directly added to the book. I appreciate the idea of including the primary source material in this instance, but to me it made it harder to follow and took me out of the listening experience that the author had established.
overall, I learned a lot through this book about complex ptsd and the way childhood trauma can leave lasting scars on the body.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Mental illness
Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
brilliantly captures the pressure-cooker atmosphere of our current corporate climate. this book resonated with me and I’m sure will resonate with many 20-30 year olds. I also thought the book does a great job of highlighting the endless innate guilt & helplessness we feel in response to the world’s turmoil.
I thought the form the author utilized was very clever; each definition serving to peel back another layer on the protagonist’s psyche. I took the black hole to be a metaphor for her depression, but I thought it was interesting that by the end it is completely personified and essentially swallows her whole.
I did find the ending to be a little rushed - I think perhaps I would have liked a little more closure, especially in her work place. nonetheless, I think this book will stick with me a while, especially the absurd (yet frightfully truthful!) dialogues between cassie and her coworkers or friends.
I thought the form the author utilized was very clever; each definition serving to peel back another layer on the protagonist’s psyche. I took the black hole to be a metaphor for her depression, but I thought it was interesting that by the end it is completely personified and essentially swallows her whole.
I did find the ending to be a little rushed - I think perhaps I would have liked a little more closure, especially in her work place. nonetheless, I think this book will stick with me a while, especially the absurd (yet frightfully truthful!) dialogues between cassie and her coworkers or friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Abortion
Les nuits blanches by Fyodor Dostoevsky
emotional
slow-paced
2.75
there were many moments in this short book that I found very lovely. however, I think the first “night” is incredibly hard to digest. when the narrator discusses his dreams and past, the monologue is dense and meandering, creating a very abstract reading experience. due to this, I lacked the connection to the main character that would have unlocked true emotions for the rest of the book. despite this, I really loved the heroine. I found her experiences to be relatable & transcendent of time. I felt empathy for her pain and circumstances, seeing a universal experience in these wishy-washy emotions. however, I found the ending to not be as hard hitting. once again, this was due to a disconnect with our narrator.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
really entertaining book and very immersive. I loved following our protagonist, and really loved the friends he made along the way, especially mimi and deke. I often felt the urge to keep on reading and find out what happened next. I wish we had gotten a little more time to spend in the changed future of 2011, because I found this to be very interesting. in the middle section, the book does suffer in pacing and length - it feels like we are reading a slice of life story rather than a suspenseful book. nonetheless, I thought the story was creative and well researched, the human connections were deep and authentic, and the ending was pleasantly bittersweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Gun violence, Blood, Car accident, and Murder
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the ending left much to be desired, in my opinion. I did enjoy the majority of the book, but all in all I find the story confused, not providing the proper closure for this decades long friendship. the strongest moments included nino and elena’s relationship with him. I thought it was layered and complex, doing a great job of conveying the toxic love elena felt. i think my main problem with this book (and the series as a whole) is that the characters are too fickle. it is very hard to get understand them (lila in particular) and thus it makes it hard to relate. even in the moments of tragedy I always felt like I was from the outside looking in. nonetheless, I have to give credit to the author for being able to make characters that are so nuanced & creating a fluctuating, realistic female friendship.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
funny
fast-paced
3.75
this started off very mid-tier but little by little the book became funnier and I found myself actually laughing out loud listening to tina fey’s narration. I don’t think the story she tells is particularly eye-opening to the industry in which she worked, nor do I think it does a particularly good job of telling readers how tina fey reached her success. for these reasons, I’m not sure it’s a particularly good memoir. but despite this, the anecdotes make the book enjoyable and her whit/sarcasm is worth it alone. I will note that some of the jokes aren’t aging well (though some do and remain incredibly relevant).
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
medium-paced
2.75
I usually really enjoy culinary memories and books that take place in the kitchen. despite this, I didn’t really enjoy this memoir. I found it quite outdated, playing into all the stereotypes of culinary stars. it tries to be funny in a “rough around the edges” sort of way, but comes off as crude and superficial. I enjoy certain parts, mainly when discussing dinner time rushes or specific anecdotes with suppliers. but overall, this wasn’t memorable and I expected more from the memoir of such a personality in the culinary world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the type of book that will stay in my mind for months to come. there were so many beautiful and poetic passages, and the book successfully entwines these passages with more approachable writing, allowing for the novel to be a real page turner. while the story is tragic and heartbreaking, there are moments of hope that rise to the surface, representing all the beautiful sides of this family’s story. the love that is present in this book is so strong and I often had tears in my eyes, not at the tragic moments, but at some of the quieter moments between betty and her father or mother. the final few chapters were written with so much tenderness and I think it was a great way to wrap it all up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Racism, Rape, and Death of parent
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this book has been my least favorite of the series so far. I found it boring during the vast majority due to its endless discussions of scholarly and political topics. I also found lila to reach her peak of unlikability in this book which made it tedious to read her sections. in this entire series I struggle to relate to her and feel empathy for her, but in this book it was practically impossible despite her hardships. I did enjoy the last 100 pages when elena finally writes her book and gets with nino - i found this all very exciting and I enjoyed the chaotic energy and her self-sabotage made it entertaining to read.
I Didn't Know I Needed This: The New Rules for Flirting, Feeling, and Finding Yourself by Eli Rallo
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I found this book to be a pleasure to consume. there are genuinely good pieces of advice and it’s a very empowering book. while a lot of the advice isn’t news to most, it’s always nice to be reminded and it feels like a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend or sister. being in my early 20s this is a very applicable and relatable book.