issyd23's reviews
142 reviews

Difficult Loves by Italo Calvino

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Incredible writing, wish I could read the original Italian - not a huge fan of short stories and was a bit of a slog for me to get through 3👙

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Down the Drain by Julia Fox

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

She’s so Julia omg 4🍏 story more tragic than expected: I lost count of the number of times she overdosed and her friends died overdosing 🥺

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Insane last chapter: Gray deconstructs & satirises not just the novel but class, love & objectivity in storytelling/history. Keen to see how the film compares! 3🧠 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Really Good, Actually is the better breakup book. Wish we got more of Jen’s perspective Andy was intolerable and not as funny as Maggie from Really Good 3🎭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Fuck me Rachel Bloom! I want to be exactly where she is 4🎤

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Prima Facie by Suzie Miller

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A gut wrenching but important read: although we know the story & where it‘s headed it doesn’t make it any easier 3👩‍⚖️

Wished this story was set in Australia like the original play - annoys me that Aussie material is always adapted for US/UK audiences. Susie Miller literally practiced law in Sydney!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Worth the effort! 4🤠 

“Modern Prometheans have raided Mount Olympus again & have brought back for man the very thunderbolts of Zeus.” Scientific Monthly

Imagine having one of the greatest minds of the 20th century & the first 4 chapters of your biography is about how much of a loser you were at school/uni, how little you had sex & how you had 0 friends & low key tried to kill yourself & your professor.

Thankfully Oppie’s neuroses ‘subsided during middle age’ & he went on to have many affairs, friends & lead the Manhattan project & other groundbreaking discoveries. 

Jokes aside this biography is incredible: the best I’ve read & well worth the slog if you’re a fan of the film! 

It was so great reading the backstories of Jean Tatlock, Kitty, Isi Rabi & other fascinating people (I now finally understand what happened with Haakon Chevalier).

My eBook was so filled with highlights it started lagging. 

Bird & Sherwin’s attention to detail & research is considerable. Take a bow! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Carrie Fisher is a riot! Reads like stand up comedy/1 woman show - wish I saw this performed live & wish Paul Simon would write a song about me 5🥃

“But the main thing I’ve learned, I learned all by myself, no help needed. I learned not to get my tongue pierced. Because if you’re getting it pierced for the reason why I think you’re getting it pierced and you’re not good at that thing to begin with, no little piece of jewelry is going to save the day.”

God she’s brilliant - there’s way too many funny lines to include! Can’t wait to read her other books 😆

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and War

Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll by Priscilla Presley

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Dying to see the Coppola biopic! The story of her relationship with Elvis is that of a dark fairytale. I am now repulsed by him. Also Elvis high key stole music from black artists 4👧🏻

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Nora Ephron is a genius! Although I’m probably too gentile to fully appreciate her wit 5🥗

Not only was she married to Carl Bernstein (1/2 of Woodward/Bernstein who broke THE Watergate scandal) but she figured out the identity of Deep Throat and would casually name drop ‘Mark Felt’ at dinner parties. A true legend gone way too soon!!

‘I want him back’
‘What do you want him back for? You just said he was a schmuck’
‘I want him back so I can yell at him and tell him his a schmuck, anyway he’s my schmuck and I want him to stop seeing her and I want him to say that he never really loved her and he must have been crazy and I want him to die and her to die to’
‘I thought you said you want him back’
‘I do but I want him back dead’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism