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kaleighbasso's reviews
303 reviews
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Names were awful and the author didn’t seem like she wanted to have fun with what could have been a fun premise. Writing felt flat as fuck.
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
It is interesting to find yourself rooting for a couple that was doomed from the beginning.
Green Dot follows Hera, a 24 year old Australian woman who is trying to figure out how to exist in a capitalistic hell scape (aren’t we all). Enter Arthur, the man behind the screen barricade in the news office where she finds work as a community moderator. She makes him laugh and that laugh reminds her that joy and vivacity haven’t left the planet.
They begin an affair that she does not know is an affair until after they have sex for the first time.
But then she stays. And then it gets messy.
It is interesting to find myself rooting for this couple that is doomed mostly because my mom was an adulterer for a large chunk of my childhood. Madeleine Gray introduces us the the moral ambiguity that comes with falling in love with someone who is not available and not being able to stop yourself. Its interesting to read this account of an affair that you know will not end well for our main character and hope that it does anyway. I didn’t feel angry at either of them, I just wanted them to be happy. What a weird thing to feel when we’ve all been conditioned to see cheating as a morally bankrupt choice that has a clear right and wrong, as Hera often points out to us.
I really enjoyed this, it made me consider what I would do in this situation as the mistress, the adulterer, and the wife who is oblivious until the end. What would i do?! What would you do?!
I used to think cheating was a hard line for me, given the context I have from childhood. But while my partner and I would discuss opening a relationship before either of us resorted to cheating, I think it would be much more complicated than I originally expected.
Perhaps my next read will be The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel.
I no longer do star ratings but I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it if it sounds up your alley! I loved the quick wit and dry Australian humor and the ways it made me think.
Green Dot follows Hera, a 24 year old Australian woman who is trying to figure out how to exist in a capitalistic hell scape (aren’t we all). Enter Arthur, the man behind the screen barricade in the news office where she finds work as a community moderator. She makes him laugh and that laugh reminds her that joy and vivacity haven’t left the planet.
They begin an affair that she does not know is an affair until after they have sex for the first time.
But then she stays. And then it gets messy.
It is interesting to find myself rooting for this couple that is doomed mostly because my mom was an adulterer for a large chunk of my childhood. Madeleine Gray introduces us the the moral ambiguity that comes with falling in love with someone who is not available and not being able to stop yourself. Its interesting to read this account of an affair that you know will not end well for our main character and hope that it does anyway. I didn’t feel angry at either of them, I just wanted them to be happy. What a weird thing to feel when we’ve all been conditioned to see cheating as a morally bankrupt choice that has a clear right and wrong, as Hera often points out to us.
I really enjoyed this, it made me consider what I would do in this situation as the mistress, the adulterer, and the wife who is oblivious until the end. What would i do?! What would you do?!
I used to think cheating was a hard line for me, given the context I have from childhood. But while my partner and I would discuss opening a relationship before either of us resorted to cheating, I think it would be much more complicated than I originally expected.
Perhaps my next read will be The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel.
I no longer do star ratings but I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it if it sounds up your alley! I loved the quick wit and dry Australian humor and the ways it made me think.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
am i sobbing or laughing? both, neither, i feel as though my feelings are trapped inside of me and yet oozing out of my pores.
I don’t know how to talk about Martyr!, language fails me. I am reminded of Roya, “a photograph can say “this is what it was.” Language can only say “This is what it was like.’” Martyr! reminds me of the power of language and its incredible lack, always balanced on a tight rope.
Despite not understanding the ending, that did not impact my experience with Martyr!. I will no doubt revisit this again and again and find something new each time.
I don’t know how to talk about Martyr!, language fails me. I am reminded of Roya, “a photograph can say “this is what it was.” Language can only say “This is what it was like.’” Martyr! reminds me of the power of language and its incredible lack, always balanced on a tight rope.
Despite not understanding the ending, that did not impact my experience with Martyr!. I will no doubt revisit this again and again and find something new each time.
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
I’m a slut for an epistolary novel and socialism so this really worked for me. Bella’s almost clinical curiosity (that is to say the way curiosity seems matter-of-fact rather than childlike) was endlessly fun to read, I wish there were more from her perspective in the book, thought Duncan Wedderburn’s letter were just as enjoyable purely for the dramatic flare of a man child.
The choices Yorgos Lanthimos made for the movie are very interesting to me. Why make the men more patriarchal, more villainous?
I do think Victoria McCandless’ letter at the end dampened the overall whimsy of the story but I understand its purpose is to make the reader wonder if this is a work of fiction or nonfiction which is fun in its own right. Rooting an impossible story in historical context via the notes at the end was a choice that I loved even if the notes were boring.
The choices Yorgos Lanthimos made for the movie are very interesting to me. Why make the men more patriarchal, more villainous?
I do think Victoria McCandless’ letter at the end dampened the overall whimsy of the story but I understand its purpose is to make the reader wonder if this is a work of fiction or nonfiction which is fun in its own right. Rooting an impossible story in historical context via the notes at the end was a choice that I loved even if the notes were boring.
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
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? No
A multigenerational story following the Marte sisters and the two daughters. The plot is in the title, this is a book of family lore. Their histories, their magic, their lives leading up to the “living wake” of the second oldest aunt, Flor, who knows when people will die.
I’ll be honest in that I felt my own lack while reading this book. Lack in what, I’m not sure— maybe culture, maybe the particular love for family, probably both. Family Lore felt like a love letter to Dominican women and the complicated mess that is familial relationships.
I was so endeared to these characters despite not always knowing where the story was heading or what the “point” of it was. I believe now, having finished it, that Acevedo is inviting us to sit around a table with these characters and enjoy a cafecito while they told their stories.
I’ll be honest in that I felt my own lack while reading this book. Lack in what, I’m not sure— maybe culture, maybe the particular love for family, probably both. Family Lore felt like a love letter to Dominican women and the complicated mess that is familial relationships.
I was so endeared to these characters despite not always knowing where the story was heading or what the “point” of it was. I believe now, having finished it, that Acevedo is inviting us to sit around a table with these characters and enjoy a cafecito while they told their stories.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
There are favorite books and then there are books that I believe should become required reading for humanity as a whole. Braiding Sweetgrass is the latter.
Kimmerer bridges the gap between science and genuine love, reverence, and gratitude for the Earth with the wisdom and storytelling of Indigenous people. Every essay in Braiding Sweetgrass is a lesson in relationship and reciprocity. Every essay reminds us that the Earth provides and holds us dear, that indeed we do have everything we need. I personally loved the reminders though I imagine to some they may feel repetitive, which brings me to my next point: Braiding Sweetgrass is asking its readers to slow down, to think, to process.
This is not a book you finish in a week, write a review for and add it to a stack never to be opened again. For me this will be a book I keep nearby, one that I will revisit when the world feels heavy and climate anxiety rears its head and makes me feel hopeless.
There is much to be learned and there is so much work to do. The plants and the Earth already know what to do, we simply need to listen.
This book is a gift and I am grateful for it, this is your sign to finally read it.
Kimmerer bridges the gap between science and genuine love, reverence, and gratitude for the Earth with the wisdom and storytelling of Indigenous people. Every essay in Braiding Sweetgrass is a lesson in relationship and reciprocity. Every essay reminds us that the Earth provides and holds us dear, that indeed we do have everything we need. I personally loved the reminders though I imagine to some they may feel repetitive, which brings me to my next point: Braiding Sweetgrass is asking its readers to slow down, to think, to process.
This is not a book you finish in a week, write a review for and add it to a stack never to be opened again. For me this will be a book I keep nearby, one that I will revisit when the world feels heavy and climate anxiety rears its head and makes me feel hopeless.
There is much to be learned and there is so much work to do. The plants and the Earth already know what to do, we simply need to listen.
This book is a gift and I am grateful for it, this is your sign to finally read it.
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha
challenging
emotional
sad
I enjoyed this collection as much as one can enjoy a collection of poetry about a country under occupation— as much as one can enjoy a collection of poetry about death and bombs and a life marked in wars instead of years. That’s to say that this collection is filled with pain and anger and sadness.
I will never get over the cyclical nature of violence in our world. This collection was written years ago but could have been compiled from poetry written between October 7th and now. War has a playbook, the tactics are always the same. I hope one day we’ll get a collection of poetry from Gaza that isn’t marred by that violence. One day I hope Palestinian children will only know peace, I want them to write about their olive trees, strawberries, and the sea without the juxtaposition of war.
Highly recommend.
I will never get over the cyclical nature of violence in our world. This collection was written years ago but could have been compiled from poetry written between October 7th and now. War has a playbook, the tactics are always the same. I hope one day we’ll get a collection of poetry from Gaza that isn’t marred by that violence. One day I hope Palestinian children will only know peace, I want them to write about their olive trees, strawberries, and the sea without the juxtaposition of war.
Highly recommend.