God, what a book. I first read Game of Thrones back in 2016, and all I can say is that I’ve enjoyed it immensely more this time around. The characters, the intersecting plots, the politics: all absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait to see where this series will take me.
A needed book on the horrors of the residential schools in Canada, Five Little Indians follows five indigenous kids from when they get away from such a school to the years beyond as they try to cope with the traumas they’ve endured. It was a heartfelt book, one I could feel the emotions through at certain points in the story.
The writing style itself, however, left a bit to be desired. It was choppy, repetitive, and seemed like it would be that much better if there was just one last look over with an editor. Overall, though, I’m glad I read this.
I thought the beginning was a bit slow for my taste, but I tried it again once I re-checked it out on Libby later in the year and sped right through it. I really enjoyed everything about this — the story, the characters, the writing. There was pain and sorrow, but there was also joy and whimsy. Hairston has such a way with words, it’s truly beautiful. I loved the historical aspects, too, which is interesting because I’m usually not one for historical fiction. I can’t wait to look into the author’s other works.
What a wonderful, gruesomely queer book! I really enjoyed the exploration of religious trauma and queer identity. The body horror was also *chef’s kiss*. All in all, an awesome read. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
An intriguing read that delves into personhood and how we define it, motherhood, abuse, trauma, and more. While the last quarter of the book seemed stilted and choppy relative to the rest of the novel, it was still interesting and thought-provoking.
A fascinating collection of essays re: the #MeToo movement. I originally obtained this from Verso when they were giving it away for free, back in 2021, and many of these essays were written during the height of the movement. It’s interesting to read this collection now, when it seems that #MeToo has died down considerably…and what do we have to show for it? I held a bit of cynicism while reading it because there seemed to be so much hope for the future within these essays, and I can’t confidently say that anything has significantly changed. Perhaps it has, and I’m being nihilistic. But either way, while some of these essays weren’t necessarily ones that I preferred, the collection as a whole was incredibly strong, and I appreciated the diverse set of voices and topics.
It’s been about five days since I finished this, and I don’t really remember much? But I think that says more about where I’m at mentally than the actual merit of the book. Overall, this was a sweet book about finding your voice, no matter what. And that’s something I can get behind, even if the dialogue seemed stilted at times.
A sweet romance book that I was able to fly through! I really enjoyed Joy as a character, and I felt her struggle to come to terms with what she truly wanted internally. I liked, too, how Summer didn’t turn into a one-dimensional villain, too. Overall, a cute romance!
I think that the author accomplished what they set out to do with this book — tell a story about two flawed men who have to figure out themselves and fall in love along the way. But the way in which it was executed left something to be desired. It felt simultaneously sluggish and rushed, and there was a lot of telling (saying that a non-perspective character did something out of joy or anger or annoyance) instead of showing (an open laugh, pursed lips, grunted vocals).
I think this is an example (for me, at least) of a story with an interesting plot but not-so-interesting writing. It made for a quick read because I wanted to see what would happen next, but I personally had to look over some weird writing annoyances.
Overall, it was simply enjoyable — a lovely, impulsive weekend read, but nothing I’d call home about.