juliannewarren12's reviews
71 reviews

Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Loving and Living Alone by Amy Key

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

1.25

I'm sorry but this book is boring. Even after starting to skim it halfway through, I almost DNF'ed. I like the overarching message of to not center your life around men/relationships but the author Amy Key doesn't even seem to follow that.  It gives a "why me" vibe that I don't think is very helpful to readers wanting to connect with this book. I feel for the author's pain and it makes me sad hearing her struggle throughout, but this book was hard to get through. The overall book is just depressing and repeats a lot about how the author truly does want romantic love. It is interesting to hear about her perspectives on love, families, and domestic labor to open my mind to other lifestyles. I appreciate the venerability Key has opening up about topics like grief, abortion, loneliness, etc. 

I thought this was going to be a more positive book about loving and living alone but it was not. To me, even the positive parts still had a somber tone all tying back to how Key still wishes for romantic love. It was hard to fully appreciate her friendships and other happy moments when not even a paragraph later it was back to being "love-less."

I will say, it's impressive how the author can connect her life to one single song (Blue) so much and analyze a single song for 200+ pages. I don't know who Joni Mitchell is so the analysis didn't really connect with me, probably playing into why I was so bored. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abortion, Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death

Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives by Emily Amick, Sami Sage

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

To be honest, it took me a month from checking out the book to actually start it. I thought it was going to be dense and difficult to read, but wow I was so wrong. This book perfectly breaks down the modern political scene and what we can do, into a digestible and relatable narrative. The book is filled with reflection prompts and action items that make community engagement feel less intimidating to a normal person. I will definitely be buying my own copy to reference back on and make notes. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get involved in local (or higher up) government!! 

Hygge Simplified: A Guide to Scandinavian Coziness, Comfort & Conviviality by Tim Rayborn

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

1.5

Very repetitive and surface level. It is about 110 pages but could have been slimmed down to 40 pages roughly. I picked up this book because I have heard of hygge but didn't know much about it and I put down this book feeling about the same. It says that this book is just an introduction, so I can't really blame the author for the surface level writing, but there's not much to it. This book is a very very quick read and a good reminder to enjoy the little things in life, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you are interested in hygge, I would look elsewhere.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I haven't loved a book this much in so long. I'll admit, I don't think I'm smart enough for this book and it was very hard to get into at first. You get thrown into this world immediately with no world building whatsoever. It was confusing at first but then about 40ish pages in, you finally start to fully grasp what's happening.

I love the way the book flows with small chapters ending in the letters from red and blue. I fully visualized this world in my head and could "see" the story as I was reading it and it was truly beautiful. Red was such a loveable character in my opinion, I wish I could read a whole series about her and this world. I thought it was a beautiful story that I will be thinking about for coming days. 
I will say that some parts are pretty "over-written" but you don't need to get hung up on every sentence to understand and enjoy this book. I could read this book over and over and not get bored of it. This is definitely one of my favorite books ever though. 

Even not feeling smart enough to read this, I still give this book 5 stars and it is one of my favorites. The vibes and essence of the story are truly beautiful and it's the kind of book that leaves you thinking about it weeks later. I want more of Red and Blue, a series; a movie; anything. 

If you plan to read this, I would get the 'book club' edition that has the introduction because that'll make it so much easier to just jump in and fully enjoy the story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, War

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Did not finish book.

couldn't even finish... I hated this book to be honest. I keep forgetting I even started it and it was so difficult for me to attempt to read. sorry Adam lol 

Normal People by Sally Rooney
Did not finish book.

 cant even finish... i was in a reading groove but this brought me into a reading slump. I don't plan on picking this book back up ever.

Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature's Secrets to Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg

The content of this book is very interesting. It is wordy, scientific, and hard to digest at points so it put me in a reading slump. I want to restart it because I was genuinely interested, but this was not a good book to pick after only reading one book the whole year. I will retry again once I get into a more consistent reading flow. The title was a misleading as I expected this to revolve more around the animal kingdom and not so human-focused, but I should have ready the description first before assuming. 

Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste by Bea Johnson

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

As an environmental professional, this book was right up my alley. Zero waste living has always been something I aspired for but this was the first time I've sat down and read an actual book about it. I enjoy how this book is split by sections of the home to make the whole concept less overwhelming. I think this is smart to show readers that they can even make small changes one room at a time. Zero Waste Home is written by Bea Johnson who is definitely more extreme in her zero waste journey, but shares her information in a way that is inspiring. It was an easy read that took me over a week to finish only because I would pause to take notes. If you are interested in this lifestyle, it is an easy read to help you dive into the zero waste world... just remember that you don't have to live exactly like this. 

Second Tide's the Charm by Chandra Blumberg

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

I think I am too old for this book. The target audience seems to be high school aged. I say this because the "lovey-dovey" scenes and conversations feel immature to me (as in not what late 20 yr olds- early 30s would say and do) It was a cute book and an easy read though! The author does a really good job with setting up the science aspects- I was shocked to read that she was not a marine biologist herself (coming from someone who is one and have spent summers doing this exact research)

I was disappointed how there was no marriage proposal at the end in the aquarium.

I also didnt like how Adrian and Hope were all too lovey and mushy right away. If this book was rewritten with more emphasis on restoring lost trust and heartbreak, and with realistic adult-like interactions, I think this plot could've been 5 star worthy.  Adrian and Hope jumped back into a relationship too quickly without any real struggles in my opinion.

The characters lacked much dimension and growth which added to the child like vibe in my opinion. GIVE US A GABE AND MARISSA SPIN-OFF BECUASE THEY SEEMED MORE INTERESTING THEN THE MAIN CHARACTERS!!!! 

I thought the plot was such a cool take on romance books, but as a reader in her 20s I just couldn't fully enjoy this book. 

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved this book two years ago and gave it 5 stars... looking back at it, a lot of parts were cringy and I just dont think about this book much, if at all. It was a good easy read in the moment but I wouldnt be recommending it or rereading in 2024 and on.

**SPOILER ALERT**


the story of miles losing his son was so powerful. being able to feel his pain and partially relate made this a 5 star book for me. i didnt love tate but as a girl i can relate so much to her struggles of dating/love