jkanz's reviews
105 reviews

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

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4.0

Lightly composed, with deep themes that should make us look at the other worlds around us in an inspired light. There are so many roses in the concrete gardens that society has thrown to the side. We need more hip hop literature of this pedigree, there’s so many people going through their formative years that could use this gem to validate their dreams. Keep going. Thank you Angie Thomas.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

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5.0

I read this during the time of Coronavirus, as I reflect on the year that has escaped so many of us and it was a beautiful refuge to dive into the life and period of living of this extraordinary individual. I’ve always been in awe of Hemingway and to see where he was at during his mid twenties has given me a deeper inclination of where I need to go. Paris, I see you. Hemingway, thank you for transcending death and living through us all.
The Rich Boy by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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5.0

"you'll never settle down"

"I don't think he was ever happy unless some one was in love with him."

Simply put, this novella was brilliantly and illustriously composed.
Fly Already: Stories by Etgar Keret

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4.0

These stories are absurd, why do they have to end?! I guess it’s the sign of something so well written, you simply want to stay in that world before being absorbed into a new one just for that cycle to end in a familiar but new light. Well done Mr. Keret. A fan
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

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4.0

Revisited. Still dark. EAP, never got over his goth years huh.
South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

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4.0

Certain people seem to conflate the flaws of the main character with the value of how good this novel is. That shouldn't be the case. The novel is the beauty of love unbounded in its lingering affects on our hearts. How this love, no matter how long ago it was, seeps into our existing reality. Consciously or subconsciously, we're always relatively connected to this love. Would recommend not only reading this wonderfully crafted love ballad but also encourage to compliment its ending by listening to star crossed lovers by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington queued by Frank Sinatra's As Time Goes By. Enjoy
On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl on One Beautiful April Morning by Haruki Murakami

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5.0

“Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart”

YOOOOOOOO, Murakami, you cant be slapping the bass of my soul like that!!!!
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant

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5.0

“Demand excellence of yourself. Have an obsession to figure it out and remember that everyone has a different puzzle in life.” Thank you for the life that you lived. You made the most of your short time here! Your spirit lives on Kobe Bryant.