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justinlife's reviews
850 reviews
Nearly Dead in Iowa by Wendy Byrne
lighthearted
fast-paced
1.75
This was ok. There was somethings to like about it, but overall, it made me feel that this was a writing assignment for a workshop that got explored. It felt that it needed an editor to reel in the character and focus.
The story follows Isabella as she recently divorced a real estate mogul in New York and was on her way to find her father who she has never met. Murder ensues and this part time artist tries to solve the case.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters but not much else. The story felt "and then this and then this and then this..." and it didn't give me what I wanted from the plot.
It's not the worst thing I've read and I could see where this could be improved, but overall, I won't be doing this again.
The story follows Isabella as she recently divorced a real estate mogul in New York and was on her way to find her father who she has never met. Murder ensues and this part time artist tries to solve the case.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters but not much else. The story felt "and then this and then this and then this..." and it didn't give me what I wanted from the plot.
It's not the worst thing I've read and I could see where this could be improved, but overall, I won't be doing this again.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This slow burn, bodyguard romance was a fun read. It felt like it was 100 pages too long, though. Rowland creates a world where the prince needs to help uncover a conspiracy to save the kingdom. Prince Kadou is an interesting character because he suffers from crippling anxiety. His bodyguard is there to help him and eventually sparks fly.
I have a problem with workplace romances where one has power over the other. They stress me out. Rowland at least puts in her fantasy world that it’s somewhat acceptable for this happen. Still though, ew.
The interesting things about the book had more to do with the gender politics and the religion more than the plot. Rowland creates an interesting universe that would be fun to explore in other books and it felt like she could as there were a lot of loose ends to finish up.
The plot of the book was fun enough. Sometimes when stupid things happen in fantasy which feels as if the only purpose is to move the plot along, I’m reminded that stupid things happen in real life and then I’m back on board. The plot seemed to go on and on for reasons I didn’t understand. Maybe if she plays more in this universe, it will make sense.
Overall though, I liked it. It was a fun, light read. As a reminder, I think all fantasy books suffer in the first 40 pages where the author has to introduce the audience to terms only they know. This book is no different.
I have a problem with workplace romances where one has power over the other. They stress me out. Rowland at least puts in her fantasy world that it’s somewhat acceptable for this happen. Still though, ew.
The interesting things about the book had more to do with the gender politics and the religion more than the plot. Rowland creates an interesting universe that would be fun to explore in other books and it felt like she could as there were a lot of loose ends to finish up.
The plot of the book was fun enough. Sometimes when stupid things happen in fantasy which feels as if the only purpose is to move the plot along, I’m reminded that stupid things happen in real life and then I’m back on board. The plot seemed to go on and on for reasons I didn’t understand. Maybe if she plays more in this universe, it will make sense.
Overall though, I liked it. It was a fun, light read. As a reminder, I think all fantasy books suffer in the first 40 pages where the author has to introduce the audience to terms only they know. This book is no different.
Racism, Not Race: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by Joseph L Graves, Alan H Goodman
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
This is a great resource and a helpful guide if people have questions they want to ask about racism. This is not a great audio only book, nor is it easy to read straight through. The basis of this book is that there are no different biological races in humans. There are social races, but we, as humans, do not differ biologically based on skin color.
The chapters present themselves in question and answer format which is nice if you want to pick up to read a question or two and see how these scientists answer. If you're reading it straight through, it gets a bit much. I feel like this book is more geared to the scientific community than the general populace as it is heavy on the research and the language surrounding research.
I did learn a lot, particularly how different countries define race and that that race isn't biological. It's odd when you hear social groups who are more likely to have a disease and it's based on race, but there's more to it than. It changed how I look at medicine information and how it's dispersed.
The chapters present themselves in question and answer format which is nice if you want to pick up to read a question or two and see how these scientists answer. If you're reading it straight through, it gets a bit much. I feel like this book is more geared to the scientific community than the general populace as it is heavy on the research and the language surrounding research.
I did learn a lot, particularly how different countries define race and that that race isn't biological. It's odd when you hear social groups who are more likely to have a disease and it's based on race, but there's more to it than. It changed how I look at medicine information and how it's dispersed.
The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence by The Care Collective
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
3.25
This book is a dream. It's a lovely dream and a challenging one. It starts off strong with a good sense of how to change how we perceive care and how we can prioritize it. As the book continued and the reach became global, the book felt more like an idea without much direction.
The premise of this short book is that we've become a society that has deprioritized care and community and it offers a vision of what a society would look like if we did the opposite. It tackles the local, national, and international politics and challenges the reader with examples of how we can restructure our society by prioritizing care.
At its best, it's reassuring and helps refocus and recenter the worldview to see how we can be better stewards of our community. At its worst, it's a daydream looking beyond, showing what a world would look like by prioritizing that care but also without the resistance that would come from such a push.
Books like this are important because they should challenge how we perceive the world and the economy. They allow the ideas the space to float freely. Others should pick up where this book left off and build upon it.
What was hard to deal with was the paths and plans shown were created with a lack of resistance and that all democratic societies have the best interest for everybody in mind. Democracies tend to focus on what the majority wants and needs with little room for the minorities. That's why it's important for those checks such as the supreme court in the us that, at its best, can counter to protect the minority. In this book, the fully democratic governments and leaders take care of everyone. There's no corruption or resistance.
There were also a lot of "we need to"statements particularly when shifting to national and international levels. It gets difficult to focus and becomes frustrating because those statements are unhelpful. I need to work out, but by saying it in that way, I lose the interest and I've made no path to do it.
While I didn't agree with everything, I was glad to have read it. It's good to challenge my politic and to see how I can regroup and reshape it. I think it's worth a read.
The premise of this short book is that we've become a society that has deprioritized care and community and it offers a vision of what a society would look like if we did the opposite. It tackles the local, national, and international politics and challenges the reader with examples of how we can restructure our society by prioritizing care.
At its best, it's reassuring and helps refocus and recenter the worldview to see how we can be better stewards of our community. At its worst, it's a daydream looking beyond, showing what a world would look like by prioritizing that care but also without the resistance that would come from such a push.
Books like this are important because they should challenge how we perceive the world and the economy. They allow the ideas the space to float freely. Others should pick up where this book left off and build upon it.
What was hard to deal with was the paths and plans shown were created with a lack of resistance and that all democratic societies have the best interest for everybody in mind. Democracies tend to focus on what the majority wants and needs with little room for the minorities. That's why it's important for those checks such as the supreme court in the us that, at its best, can counter to protect the minority. In this book, the fully democratic governments and leaders take care of everyone. There's no corruption or resistance.
There were also a lot of "we need to"statements particularly when shifting to national and international levels. It gets difficult to focus and becomes frustrating because those statements are unhelpful. I need to work out, but by saying it in that way, I lose the interest and I've made no path to do it.
While I didn't agree with everything, I was glad to have read it. It's good to challenge my politic and to see how I can regroup and reshape it. I think it's worth a read.
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I'm rating this higher than I thought at first because the overall curation of essays is really good.
Queer people's relationship with the horror genre is something that I'm glad was explored and Vallese found essays from almost every type of queer experience. It's quite impressive. Not all the essays worked for me. I was honestly hoping for more queer readings of films than personal stories and some of the stories only seemed loosely connected to the the movies they were writing about.
I appreciated a lot of the perspectives- the relating to the monster, the body issues, the family issues. Some of the queer subtext people found I never saw (here's looking at you Jaws and Exorcist). But that's cool. Love this for them. There were some essays that felt too personal and too intimate- The Child's Play essay, the Friday the 13th one are examples of essays where I was like "does your partner/child know you wrote this, because awkward."
I think there's a lot worth liking and it was definitely interesting to read. I would read another volume.
Queer people's relationship with the horror genre is something that I'm glad was explored and Vallese found essays from almost every type of queer experience. It's quite impressive. Not all the essays worked for me. I was honestly hoping for more queer readings of films than personal stories and some of the stories only seemed loosely connected to the the movies they were writing about.
I appreciated a lot of the perspectives- the relating to the monster, the body issues, the family issues. Some of the queer subtext people found I never saw (here's looking at you Jaws and Exorcist). But that's cool. Love this for them. There were some essays that felt too personal and too intimate- The Child's Play essay, the Friday the 13th one are examples of essays where I was like "does your partner/child know you wrote this, because awkward."
I think there's a lot worth liking and it was definitely interesting to read. I would read another volume.
Northranger by Rey Terciero
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Listen, Northanger Abbey isn't the easiest nor the most recognizable of Austen's work. I read it once and I don't remember much. I think I thought it was weird. In this remake, Terciero gives the book a Texas queer experience. The story follows as closely as I remember to the story, which is both good and bad. It's a hard story to sell. Cade, the protagonist loves horror and only watches horror films. When he's forced to take a summer job on a ranch, he gets invited to the owner's lake house-Northranger. As communication goes awry and things start adding up, Cade jumps to conclusions.
The story has its up and downs. The love interest is fun and I think Terciero does a great job adapting the book to a graphic novel m/m Texas romance. It can be a bit preachy in making the "queer people like monster movies b/c we feel isolated" point, but overall it's a solid graphic novel. I really enjoyed the art. That's what pushed this up a notch. Indigo's art is expressive, sweet, and full of emotion.
If you've never read Northanger Abbey, this gets the main story along while finding its own path.
The story has its up and downs. The love interest is fun and I think Terciero does a great job adapting the book to a graphic novel m/m Texas romance. It can be a bit preachy in making the "queer people like monster movies b/c we feel isolated" point, but overall it's a solid graphic novel. I really enjoyed the art. That's what pushed this up a notch. Indigo's art is expressive, sweet, and full of emotion.
If you've never read Northanger Abbey, this gets the main story along while finding its own path.
Revelator by Daryl Gregory
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a really well done book. It's not a book that I wanted to read and when I started it, I wasn't thrilled, but I can't deny the care that went into the structure, plot, characters, and ending. Gregory excelled with this book.
The story revolves around the women from the Wallace family. They have the ability to communicate with an old god living in the mountain in their East TN Smoky Mountain village. Only their family knows about the god, though. The woman's words are then interpreted by one of the men of the family. The story focuses on Stella, the latest Revelator and her coming of age and then moves into the future 10 years when another revelator comes up.
It's a great setup- 1930s and 40s Smoky Mountain. You get moonshiners, you get small town religions, you get southern gothic.
This novel twists and turns in ways that left me unsettled. It's hard to describe without giving it away, but I was impressed in how Gregory shows how we find ways to interpret events that are beyond our understanding. When you get to the end, you'll start to rethink earlier sections of the book with this new knowledge. All the hints were there, but we couldn't see them because why would we? You might even be tempted to reread it.
I think when I started this book, I was concerned b/c small town southern men and young girls who can speak to gods have a power dynamic there that can be problematic. I didn't want to read about an older man manipulating a girl. Fortunately, it's not really that. That part wasn't burdensome or overbearing.
The book is creepy though. The old god is creepy and if you aren't unsettled by the end, then good for you. This took me out. Even though I didn't feel like reading it and didn't want to be in this world, I have to hand it to him for really doing the work and making it work. It's a well done book.
The story revolves around the women from the Wallace family. They have the ability to communicate with an old god living in the mountain in their East TN Smoky Mountain village. Only their family knows about the god, though. The woman's words are then interpreted by one of the men of the family. The story focuses on Stella, the latest Revelator and her coming of age and then moves into the future 10 years when another revelator comes up.
It's a great setup- 1930s and 40s Smoky Mountain. You get moonshiners, you get small town religions, you get southern gothic.
This novel twists and turns in ways that left me unsettled. It's hard to describe without giving it away, but I was impressed in how Gregory shows how we find ways to interpret events that are beyond our understanding. When you get to the end, you'll start to rethink earlier sections of the book with this new knowledge. All the hints were there, but we couldn't see them because why would we? You might even be tempted to reread it.
I think when I started this book, I was concerned b/c small town southern men and young girls who can speak to gods have a power dynamic there that can be problematic. I didn't want to read about an older man manipulating a girl. Fortunately, it's not really that. That part wasn't burdensome or overbearing.
The book is creepy though. The old god is creepy and if you aren't unsettled by the end, then good for you. This took me out. Even though I didn't feel like reading it and didn't want to be in this world, I have to hand it to him for really doing the work and making it work. It's a well done book.
Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was one of the sweetest books I've read all year. It's a quick read and when I finished it, I immediately went back and reread passages and events. The book was kind, lovely, ridiculous, over the top, and campy- all in the best ways.
In this story we have Dylan, a teen who recently lost his mom and works at his aunt's takeout business. His path crosses with Theo, ultra rich son of a tycoon who falls for Dylan. After some ridiculous scheme to get them to be fake boyfriends, the story shifts into high gear. Lee introduces Dylan to Theo's world while asking all the questions one would think, like "why is this dude into me, but also hello, we're from two different worlds!!" She introduces the characters smoothly and nothing felt out of place.
What I loved about this was that the obstacles the couple had to overcome had nothing to do with homophobia or really xenophobia. Homophobia doesn't really exist in this world. Everyone is fine with them being gay, just some people have a problem with them being from different classes.
The ending feels like something that came from a Disney afternoon movie, but it didn't feel out of place. It felt very HEA. It was over the top and the final confrontation is everything you would expect from that type of movie.
This novel also contains a lot information regarding Singaporean traditions and Chinese culture that aren't usually found. If you are unfamiliar like I am, you'll be educated. If you already know about the things she talks about, then it might feel like she's going too far. It's hard to find that balance and I think she was successful
Overall, I would read this again and would read a sequel. These characters are fun. The story was solid and her pacing was on point. It hit all the notes. It didn't shy away from going big, instead it leaned in. One could say it makes a bit corny, but come on, what romcom isn't? Highly recommend this one.
In this story we have Dylan, a teen who recently lost his mom and works at his aunt's takeout business. His path crosses with Theo, ultra rich son of a tycoon who falls for Dylan. After some ridiculous scheme to get them to be fake boyfriends, the story shifts into high gear. Lee introduces Dylan to Theo's world while asking all the questions one would think, like "why is this dude into me, but also hello, we're from two different worlds!!" She introduces the characters smoothly and nothing felt out of place.
What I loved about this was that the obstacles the couple had to overcome had nothing to do with homophobia or really xenophobia. Homophobia doesn't really exist in this world. Everyone is fine with them being gay, just some people have a problem with them being from different classes.
The ending feels like something that came from a Disney afternoon movie, but it didn't feel out of place. It felt very HEA. It was over the top and the final confrontation is everything you would expect from that type of movie.
This novel also contains a lot information regarding Singaporean traditions and Chinese culture that aren't usually found. If you are unfamiliar like I am, you'll be educated. If you already know about the things she talks about, then it might feel like she's going too far. It's hard to find that balance and I think she was successful
Overall, I would read this again and would read a sequel. These characters are fun. The story was solid and her pacing was on point. It hit all the notes. It didn't shy away from going big, instead it leaned in. One could say it makes a bit corny, but come on, what romcom isn't? Highly recommend this one.
Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book is like if Ready Player One understood camp and watched the Rocky Horror Picture show. It's absurd, ridiculous, fun, and bonkers. The aliens and the concepts introduced felt unique and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around them. At some point I just gave up and just accepted the concepts and ideas and rolled with the punches.
The story revolves around Isobel who is the best player of the Sparkleworld series. It is because she's the best that she gets recruited by a cabal to help save the universe. But do they want to save the universe? The story is on another level but if you don't think too hard it's really fun. The linguist details added that extra umph to make things somewhat plausible, if that's even a thing.
Overall it's a solid read and if you're looking for weird, fun, campy time, then this book might be for you.
The story revolves around Isobel who is the best player of the Sparkleworld series. It is because she's the best that she gets recruited by a cabal to help save the universe. But do they want to save the universe? The story is on another level but if you don't think too hard it's really fun. The linguist details added that extra umph to make things somewhat plausible, if that's even a thing.
Overall it's a solid read and if you're looking for weird, fun, campy time, then this book might be for you.
Get a Clue by Tiffany Schmidt
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This was a lot of fun and I think it's a solid YA novel.
Schmidt's approach to this series is having a story become a part of the students' lives. In this story, we see Sherlock Holmes take center stage in Huck's life as he tries to solve the mystery of why Winston's having all these problems. Both are Freshmen in highschool which is a bit younger than I typically read. The story is wholesome and plays well with the story it parodies.
It's great to see an m/m couple showing up in series like these. The others are all f/m relationships. As this is the last of the series, I didn't have an idea who the other characters were nor why they were together, but it was fine. The story was engaging enough and the narrator was just the right kind of obnoxious kid that made the story engaging.
I also appreciated the diversity of sexualities and gender identities. It feels like how the world should be. One of the things I'm learning to appreciate with YA is that if the author is good, they can provide strong and solid examples of accountability and communication. Schmidt succeeds wildy in this area.
Schmidt's approach to this series is having a story become a part of the students' lives. In this story, we see Sherlock Holmes take center stage in Huck's life as he tries to solve the mystery of why Winston's having all these problems. Both are Freshmen in highschool which is a bit younger than I typically read. The story is wholesome and plays well with the story it parodies.
It's great to see an m/m couple showing up in series like these. The others are all f/m relationships. As this is the last of the series, I didn't have an idea who the other characters were nor why they were together, but it was fine. The story was engaging enough and the narrator was just the right kind of obnoxious kid that made the story engaging.
I also appreciated the diversity of sexualities and gender identities. It feels like how the world should be. One of the things I'm learning to appreciate with YA is that if the author is good, they can provide strong and solid examples of accountability and communication. Schmidt succeeds wildy in this area.