frwll_hppy_vlds's reviews
135 reviews

Bartleby, The Scrivener A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I normally like absurd stories with "unloveable" characters, but this ain't it. This was a short story, yet it still went on for too long. I learned nothing and felt nothing at the end. Worst off, I don't think I even chuckled. An extra star for not being offensive, at least. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.

I gave myself some time to decide if I want to go back to this, and I do not. Too many people of color being dehumanized in the background of a pretty weak proto-feminist text. Couldn't enjoy it. 

The Tempest: A Case Study in Critical Controversy by James Phelan, William Shakespeare
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I don't want to read the essays afterward. 

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

2.75

I'm reading this book for school. I love the stylistic choices that the author makes - truly, they're remarkably creative. I appreciate that the author shares her experience with lesbian domestic abuse, something that is rarely written about. While it is a heavy topic, the author lands her humor where the levity is needed. I wished it were shorter and more focused, i.e. fewer "Dream House as..." chapters. Also I'm not a fan of graphic sexual content in books - I would never obstruct it, but it's just something I prefer to pass on. I will say though that said content is never gratuitous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse

A Pen Warmed-Up in Hell: Mark Twain in Protest. by Mark Twain

dark inspiring tense fast-paced

4.5

Scathing. Angry. You know how most writers try really hard to infuse their emotions into their writing? Communicate their true thoughts eloquently on the page? Ya, this. If you're an angry atheist, agnostic, or secularist, this book gets it. Shame it was suppressed for so long. It deals with complex feelings of anger and helplessness and guilt in the face of imperialism and colonialism. Definitely a re-read for me in a strangely comforting way, if only to know that I'm not alone.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War

Moderate: Racial slurs

Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0

All heart. Anna is an extremely honest and reflective person. I didn't feel like she was selling herself or her life to me. Even after hearing "the hype" around this book, I see that it's obviously above and beyond that. I feel like I made a great friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison, and Redemption by Walidah Imarisha

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Required reading for those vehemently opposed to the overlap of church and state, for secular humanists or atheists who want to hear their side of American history, and feminists. 

Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion by Joseph P. Laycock

hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

Expecting Something Else by A.M. O'Malley

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship