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kenbooky's reviews
154 reviews
Lore Olympus: Volume Four by Rachel Smythe
5.0
Book 4 really doesn’t shy away from drudging up anyones unsavory histories. From Zeus’s constant abuse of power, to Aros’s little fling with Persephone back in the day, to Apollo being and absolute trash god, this book has everything. I am dying for the next one to come out. We have officially passed where I read up to on web comics.
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
5.0
I’m probably not the first person to suggest Brené Brown’s specialty brand of self help and growth literature; I definitely won’t be the last either. I’ve heard this name thrown around quite a bit, and I’ll be frank, sometimes the introspection-y reads aren’t really my thing… mainly as a person who went to therapy a lot from a young age, I thought I knew my self and the lingo pretty well. This is exactly what Brown aims to disrupt in her Atlas of the Heart. How there is often a disconnect between language and meaning— especially in emotions. It was such an Ah-ha moment discovering how important clear concise communication with others often breaks down because we don’t even know how to label the emotions we are feeling by name. This often occurs because there is a cultural shift around the word, which to Brown’s credit, the meaning we all THINK a word has can then become even more important than what a word ACTUALLY means. I loved this linguistics approach to emotions. Very cool. Never read anything quite like it.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
5.0
Casey (Camilla) Peabody, in the words of her three-visit therapist, has been through A LOT. Between student loans that have put her in financial crisis, a pervy unsympathetic father, a dead abandoning mother who wasn’t all that bad, and a demanding waitressing job in the middle of some Ivy League metropolis where all she wants to do is finish her goddamn book. I loved every reference. Any book need will feel like they’re in slum dog millionaire and the questions were tailored to them. From mention of Casey at the Bat, to 70s count down DJ Casey Kasem, to Joni Mitchell, Talking heads, all things eclectic. I was so taken with how wonderful the protagonist was and how vividly the writer describes the onset of “ick” in her (two, three, four) relationship(s). I love the Casey’s of the world. The fearless blue giraffes.
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
2.0
Completing the Washington Post’s book for (almost) every year you’re alive year 29 — Michael Pollan’s righteous manifesto calling out pseudo food science was something. I liked the content of the book. I think it’s a necessary evil. Discussing the not only the culpable legislative processes that have made our food perhaps too genetically flexible but also the lack of understanding from nutrition science to the at home consumer. Did he get on his soap box one too many times - ah yes. Did it feel like he was yelling at you personally for the faults of a whole system — somewhat. Am I glad I read this book — I guess. Main take aways: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants and Pollan is probably really fun at parties.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
3.0
See this is why I could never do Libby. Do you know how freakin long it would’ve taken to hear all the juicy gos, all the harrowing tales of this woman’s perseverance!!! I can’t wait 500th in line for that kind of insight. There were parts of this book that I thought I knew, having remembered each pop culture moment I felt somehow I knew which things pissed Spears off because that was the narrative I was fed and believed. I was kind of shook by the the things that didn’t seem to bother Britney at all; such as JT publicly talking about taking her virginity, and how it made her feel like the world had to now see her as a woman. Britney deserves peace and expression and freedom in all capacities. That being said it would be irresponsible of me not to acknowledge the parts of this that felt ghost written and perhaps even slightly pulled from Jessica Simpson’s super successful autobiography. The section where Spears discusses her Empath abilities — along with the several head nods to other female artists in the business. I also couldn’t help feeling like many of the chapters were sped through. An autobiography of this caliber should be way longer than 5 hours. All this to say conspiratorially something feels missing. I don’t know what exactly.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
5.0
Ἀχιλλεύς
Πάτροκλος
When the exiled prince, Patroclus, has the friendship of a mischievous, good-natured, perhaps a little naive demi-god, Achilles, thrust upon him, his fate is forever sealed. Despite the many violent protest from his sea-nymph mother, Achilles holds a special place in his heart, his life, and his bed for this son of Menoetius. It’s Patroclus who unlocks the humanity within Achilles, keeping his empathy strong despite its annoying ability to overshadow one’s honor. Because of course a God’s true honor has nothing to do with humanity but remembrance. I absolutely loved this book and sobbed during the end. 1000000/10 recommend
Πάτροκλος
When the exiled prince, Patroclus, has the friendship of a mischievous, good-natured, perhaps a little naive demi-god, Achilles, thrust upon him, his fate is forever sealed. Despite the many violent protest from his sea-nymph mother, Achilles holds a special place in his heart, his life, and his bed for this son of Menoetius. It’s Patroclus who unlocks the humanity within Achilles, keeping his empathy strong despite its annoying ability to overshadow one’s honor. Because of course a God’s true honor has nothing to do with humanity but remembrance. I absolutely loved this book and sobbed during the end. 1000000/10 recommend
Trust by Hernán Díaz
5.0
Never have I ever read SUCH a subversive book with layers that felt so stinkin’ earned. Let me be clear I do not care for finance book and I have never even n engaged in this speculative finance fiction, but in a way we all do. The understanding of money and what it means to be rich or gain wealth is inherently foreign to most of us. I love how Hernan Diaz pulls understanding out of the mysterious world of number crunching and illustrates the lives and the careful egos of the men playing puppet master dahn wallstreet. I loved this book. I did not at fist, as my husband would say it’s all a careful set up of coaxing into rug pull after rug pull.
Lore Olympus: Volume Five by Rachel Smythe
5.0
Smythe really left a cliff-hanger with this one. I was already hooked on gimmick alone but the story just keeps building and now I really feel like volume 5 has this intricate web of character interactions that had been created ever so delicately whether to support the myth while building Smythe’s specific world or to balance the larger powers at play. I think though it will be agonizing, volume 6 will be worth the wait.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
3.0
Pull at my heart strings why don’t ya! a good rom com in book form is always a nice palate cleanse and this one had it all. Cults! Divorce! Lesbians! Book stores!! Affordable lake side housing!! I like any book that talks about the literary world and doesn’t take itself so serious (we need more of that) I love when January and Everett mention easter eggs of authors and talk about feeling pigeonholed in the creative process. Books like these make relatable humanity something easily attainable not something to stress over or to fabricate.