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introvertinterrupted's Reviews (1.08k)
This was pretty "meh" for me. I get the feeling I should've watched her show before I read this one and/or read [b: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?|10335308|Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)|Mindy Kaling|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1443264638s/10335308.jpg|15237902] before I tackled this one, but this was the only book the library had on loan and I needed something to curb my boredom between taking my Dad to doctors' visits so there's that.
I will say I truly enjoyed the last chapter on confidence and have to agree with Mindy that corporations are making bank on the trope of the "under confident woman" since so many girls are taught that confidence isn't our God given right and instead are made to earn it opposed to our male counterparts who are supposedly chock full of confidence from conception til death. #eyeroll Here, Mindy does give a good prescription for unearthing our inner confidence goddess and I'd definitely revisit that chapter again along with her background on how she got into screenwriting & mentor chapter and the mini-chapter about her "alternate universe" Mindy, which I found to be the premise for a good "must-see tv show" that someone should write ASAP. Yet, the rest of the book made me feel a bit like it was comedic overkill. I'm intrigued enough to watch her show though so she must've done something write.
I'd definitely recommend [b: The Year of Yes|246938|The Year of Yes|Maria Dahvana Headley|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441688167s/246938.jpg|1449207] by Shonda Rhimes if you'd like to further enjoy learning about boosting your confidence and/or writing for television as a job. Also, Jen Sincero's [b: You Are A Badass|30821382|You Are a Badass at Making Money Master the Mindset of Wealth|Jen Sincero|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1467348156s/30821382.jpg|51413787] is a good "how to manual" for those who want to get their lives together before the end of the year. Unlike the other two aforementioned books through, Sincero's self-help book is light on personal asides and instead focuses more on the reader's personal journey to their "final destination" goal wise.
I will say I truly enjoyed the last chapter on confidence and have to agree with Mindy that corporations are making bank on the trope of the "under confident woman" since so many girls are taught that confidence isn't our God given right and instead are made to earn it opposed to our male counterparts who are supposedly chock full of confidence from conception til death. #eyeroll Here, Mindy does give a good prescription for unearthing our inner confidence goddess and I'd definitely revisit that chapter again along with her background on how she got into screenwriting & mentor chapter and the mini-chapter about her "alternate universe" Mindy, which I found to be the premise for a good "must-see tv show" that someone should write ASAP. Yet, the rest of the book made me feel a bit like it was comedic overkill. I'm intrigued enough to watch her show though so she must've done something write.
I'd definitely recommend [b: The Year of Yes|246938|The Year of Yes|Maria Dahvana Headley|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441688167s/246938.jpg|1449207] by Shonda Rhimes if you'd like to further enjoy learning about boosting your confidence and/or writing for television as a job. Also, Jen Sincero's [b: You Are A Badass|30821382|You Are a Badass at Making Money Master the Mindset of Wealth|Jen Sincero|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1467348156s/30821382.jpg|51413787] is a good "how to manual" for those who want to get their lives together before the end of the year. Unlike the other two aforementioned books through, Sincero's self-help book is light on personal asides and instead focuses more on the reader's personal journey to their "final destination" goal wise.
Nnedi Okorafor definitely took her time to create a well-thought out novel with Lagoon since this book doesn't have any of the tropes one would expect in Western literature or any ones from fantasy that I can see. Yet, even with all the freshness that comes within the plot, I wasn't fully invested in the story since I didn't actually connect to the characters themselves or the plot to be honest.
The "twist" in the story felt as if they were reveled too late in the novel to really matter and the ending was confusing. I appreciate her using the story of Anansi to shape her sci-fi/fantasy narrative, but it was not fully integrated into the story and made me as a reader feel like I was reading two different stories that she created between two different drafts. Pair this with the fact that the "aliens" presence in Nigeria was never explained clearly and the book fell flat for me all around. Nevertheless, I'm curious to read more of Okorafor's books yet, I'd be lying if I didn't say this book was just so-so for me. I read it as a buddy read and as a book club selection and felt let down based on how hype my fellow club members were when they presented it as our selection.
The "twist" in the story felt as if they were reveled too late in the novel to really matter and the ending was confusing. I appreciate her using the story of Anansi to shape her sci-fi/fantasy narrative, but it was not fully integrated into the story and made me as a reader feel like I was reading two different stories that she created between two different drafts. Pair this with the fact that the "aliens" presence in Nigeria was never explained clearly and the book fell flat for me all around. Nevertheless, I'm curious to read more of Okorafor's books yet, I'd be lying if I didn't say this book was just so-so for me. I read it as a buddy read and as a book club selection and felt let down based on how hype my fellow club members were when they presented it as our selection.
Another Wilson play that was just okay. I wanted to learn more about the piano, but the characters never really get around to explains what exactly is so important and symbolic about the piano that it must be kept within the family. I feel like this would be an amazing play to see onstage since the final scene has so much action and the characters have so much dialogue between themselves that causes for the reader to need to actually see it acted out instead of just reading it in a book.
I will say though, the one dimensional feel that was given to Avery's character (he's the love interest of one of the main characters) felt very robotic when he was simply quoting full passages from the bible just so that he could uphold his role as a "preacher." In a way, this character paled when read in tandem with Boy Willie, who was the main male character that was so impassioned about life.
Overall, my main problem with this play was that Wilson's failed once again to really reconcile the ending with the residing conflict in the play. Like with [b:Gem of the Ocean|764325|Gem of the Ocean|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354209853s/764325.jpg|268788], the story seemed to stop abruptly and the curtain just seems to fall down in the midst of the characters' squabble making me feel confused as to what the playwright was trying to convey to his audience. Therefore, while I did like this better than Gem of the Ocean, I still had to give it a mere 3 stars because I wasn't all the way sold on how the play ended. Definitely not Wilson's best play, but still worth the read at only a little over a 100 pages.
I will say though, the one dimensional feel that was given to Avery's character (he's the love interest of one of the main characters) felt very robotic when he was simply quoting full passages from the bible just so that he could uphold his role as a "preacher." In a way, this character paled when read in tandem with Boy Willie, who was the main male character that was so impassioned about life.
Overall, my main problem with this play was that Wilson's failed once again to really reconcile the ending with the residing conflict in the play. Like with [b:Gem of the Ocean|764325|Gem of the Ocean|August Wilson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1354209853s/764325.jpg|268788], the story seemed to stop abruptly and the curtain just seems to fall down in the midst of the characters' squabble making me feel confused as to what the playwright was trying to convey to his audience. Therefore, while I did like this better than Gem of the Ocean, I still had to give it a mere 3 stars because I wasn't all the way sold on how the play ended. Definitely not Wilson's best play, but still worth the read at only a little over a 100 pages.
This book repulsed me in so many ways. To have to watch (read) as an innocent child is torn to emotional shreds hurts my heart, even if she is a fictional character. Even though Blume tries to give her main character a chance at redemption, I felt like this character was flat, evil, and horrible to anyone who seemed weaker than her. I can't honestly say I loved this book however, I think it's important that kids and adults be taught about bullying. This book is a good conversation starter, but the ending left me angry. I hope others will use this book as a teaching tool to show how words and certain actions can be harmful to others and have the power to destroy people's lives if wielded haphazardly.
I can't believe I ever gave this a three star rating. I'm glad I reread this book now that I'm older and can appreciate what's being written. It really is a masterpiece.
I could see this book curbing the pains of the [book: Harry Potter] series for those who miss Hogwarts. The story has a strong female protagonist and is nuanced enough where the main character doesn't feel flat as the story progresses. I'd recommend reading this if you love a good YA Fantasy novel.