fenny_42's reviews
1159 reviews

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
Absolutely incredible. So many heartwarming moments, and such a beautiful story. Will definitely reread this in the future. 

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The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

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challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Even better than the first book (A Wizard of Sarthsea). This gave me big The Locked Tomb vibes. Definitely Ninth House-esque with a child saddled with a huge burden way too young. Lovely story and a really quick read. 

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A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Amazing all around, but the last three short stories were in the same universe and were thought-provoking, emotionally rich, and made me cry a couple times. I forgot how great of a writer Le Guin is. I'm reading the Earthsea quartet immediately after this!
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded by Douglas W. Tallamy, Rick Darke

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challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Engaging, persuasive, poignant, timely. I was already interested in natives and replacing all my turf grass, and now I'm convinced that it's even more necessary. If we want birds to stick around, we need to plant natives since local insects typically cannot get nutrition from introduced (alien/naturalized) plants. Learning about different insects and native plants to support them was my favorite part of this masterpiece! So glad I bought the book to have on hand as a reference as I reshape my lawn.

It was also refreshing to read that I, as a lone gardener, can make a difference without waiting for corporations/government to do anything. I, personally, can alter my garden to help native wildlife. So inspiring! 
Translation State by Ann Leckie

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Delightfully odd, just like all Leckie's other novels. This one adds more complexity and flavor to the previous four Imperial Radch books. Time for another reread? Perhaps... :) This one had so much beauty with found family and self acceptance. Absolutely gorgeous themes, once again. Leckie's writing is basically perfection. 
Ascension by Nicholas Binge

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I liked the premise (I adore reading letters as fiction, and mysteries) and had heard raving reviews about this book. However, I borrowed it from the library and in the three weeks I had it, I couldn’t manage to be intrigued enough to finish. I made it about 80 pages in. The “letters” weren’t nearly close enough to letters, since they include large back and forths of dialogue and action that read a lot more like a regular narrative. So the “letter” format struck me as more pretentious than serving the story in any way, except for the very beginning of the story and how the book was framed (again, loved the premise!!). I may give this another shot someday, but for now it’s going in my DNF pile.
Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation by Camonghne Felix

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challenging dark reflective

4.5


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Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Stanley Blair

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challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Reading this book made me so angry, so many times. Women are fertile for about 24 hours per cycle for only childbearing years whereas men are fertile 24/7 their ENTIRE LIVES. So I can't believe how much our society puts the responsibility of birth control (money, time, PAIN) solely at the feet of women. That includes the men that those women engage with. Men often coerce women into not using condoms because they think not using one makes them more manly or consider it to be a successful conquest to overturn a woman's choice. 

The book talks about the idea that "condoms don't feel as good" being a lack of practice rather than a real fact. Men can practice using different condoms and lubes to find what works for them and DOES feel good but instead avoid using condoms simply because they think they should hate them. Men who practice this and use condoms often don't share that fact or share with their friends what has worked for them, so the myth persists. 

Something the book doesn't touch on but should be mentioned is that the pH of semen changes the pH of a vagina so much that a woman can get an infection (BV) from having barrier-free sex. 

Please, everyone, read this book and educate yourselves. It is simply outrageous what we have been taught to believe.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Initially, I didn't want to read this. I didn't want Snow to be humanized, made into a protagonist. Collins handles it perfectly though--Snow's internal monologue is exactly what you'd expect from the President in The Hunger Games trilogy. She masterfully creates the human who will come to be the tyrant in the later books. Absolutely flawless. 

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The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

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challenging dark inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0