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kolorful_kay_reads's reviews
123 reviews
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
My Past Is a Foreign Country by Zeba Talkhani
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China by Leta Hong Fincher
challenging
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The main character (a man who is presumably in their 40s) cannot go three pages without mentioning that he was bullied in high school and it ruined every decision he'll ever make. It is maddening.
Luster by Raven Leilani
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"... she used to attend these concerts mostly as a function of being someone's girlfriend. She was not permitted to have an opinion so much as observe these boyfriends' exhibitions of taste..."
This book was a rollercoaster of thoughts for me. It ticked every box on the "Karena won't like this" list. I had great disdain for the meandering metaphors which seemed out-of-character. I didn't love that the character development was surface-level for the reader. At times, I couldn't get past some of the more fantastical elements of the growth in the characters' relationships. I'm always looking for books about open relationships or polyamory and the intricacies of managing egos within them, so I was disappointed when it didn't really touch this conversation in-depth. However, despite missing all of my typical marks, I fell IN LOVE with Edie as a human and the very intentional choices made by Raven to explore this character in her early 20s and allow readers to see themselves within Edie.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You want to remember why you don't miss your early-to-mid 20s.
* You're seeking a lighter read that allows you to explore thoughts as deeply as you desire to. There's so much to pick-up, but you're not required to do so. This book has great re-read value.
* You enjoy characters who come to know each other differently over time. Relationships can degrade or grow exponentially and Edie's experience of coming to know new people intimately is sooooo... millennial lady in her early 20s.
This book was a rollercoaster of thoughts for me. It ticked every box on the "Karena won't like this" list. I had great disdain for the meandering metaphors which seemed out-of-character. I didn't love that the character development was surface-level for the reader. At times, I couldn't get past some of the more fantastical elements of the growth in the characters' relationships. I'm always looking for books about open relationships or polyamory and the intricacies of managing egos within them, so I was disappointed when it didn't really touch this conversation in-depth. However, despite missing all of my typical marks, I fell IN LOVE with Edie as a human and the very intentional choices made by Raven to explore this character in her early 20s and allow readers to see themselves within Edie.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You want to remember why you don't miss your early-to-mid 20s.
* You're seeking a lighter read that allows you to explore thoughts as deeply as you desire to. There's so much to pick-up, but you're not required to do so. This book has great re-read value.
* You enjoy characters who come to know each other differently over time. Relationships can degrade or grow exponentially and Edie's experience of coming to know new people intimately is sooooo... millennial lady in her early 20s.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Acting is: fidelity to authentic emotion, under imagined circumstances."
As I age, I come to understand that life is a trust exercise. This book is a trust exercise. And everything... is in the editing. Where most books pick a side for the ease of storytelling and sending a point or message, Choi intentionally does not follow said path. This book, like life, is messy and unassured.
This book is a roller coaster ride and is not for everybody. Whether the reader agrees with the artistic choices and enjoys this novel is one thing, but the book is intentionally built with extreme care and is a master class in writing regardless of whether one enjoys it.
This book made my teenage self feel whole. This is the first time in years that I've read of a teenage character that felt authentic. I could (albeit, squeamishly at times) feel every emotion these characters felt. I found myself rooting for each individual I loved or hated in high school. I found myself looking back on memories in a new way. And I freaking loved reading Meisner Techniques.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You were a theatre kid. Oh, boy, will you love some of this.
* You most enjoy reading for the unique and differing perspectives that stories tell
* You love a story that is somehow both character- and plot-driven
* You sit down without pre-conceived notions and do not look-up any details about this book
As I age, I come to understand that life is a trust exercise. This book is a trust exercise. And everything... is in the editing. Where most books pick a side for the ease of storytelling and sending a point or message, Choi intentionally does not follow said path. This book, like life, is messy and unassured.
This book is a roller coaster ride and is not for everybody. Whether the reader agrees with the artistic choices and enjoys this novel is one thing, but the book is intentionally built with extreme care and is a master class in writing regardless of whether one enjoys it.
This book made my teenage self feel whole. This is the first time in years that I've read of a teenage character that felt authentic. I could (albeit, squeamishly at times) feel every emotion these characters felt. I found myself rooting for each individual I loved or hated in high school. I found myself looking back on memories in a new way. And I freaking loved reading Meisner Techniques.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You were a theatre kid. Oh, boy, will you love some of this.
* You most enjoy reading for the unique and differing perspectives that stories tell
* You love a story that is somehow both character- and plot-driven
* You sit down without pre-conceived notions and do not look-up any details about this book
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
"All of their conversations went like this, around and around in loops that Stella couldn't follow. She wasn't meant to understand their shorthand or glean complicated backstories from the cast of characters they introduced. To be there at all, really. But she was happy to sit quietly fiddling with her cards, listening." --- This book, seemingly talking about itself
This book is about nothing more than memory; (racial) passing, familial ties, and winding narratives between generations are simple topics that take us from cover-to-cover, but the reader never gets anything of depth from those stories. The worthiness in this book is in the concept of writing in memory format and, frankly, I would not recommend that writing style for the majority of stories or writers. If you are not familiar with what I'm mentioning, here is an example of how it reads --- the book is broken into chapters (named by their year) but you'll jump between the recent past, to the future, to the far back past, to the present in the matter of a single page. It's like a Christopher Nolan film but without any action, major story lines, or cues that you're jumping time. Oh, and it's all in a non-omniscient third person narrative. So you're basically reading a third person's hearsay of people's feelings and minor family ties. But that person (narrator) may have once been a stereotypical professor of the dramatics, who occasionally uses very strange descriptions for basic scenes.
Have you ever had somebody tell you that they "recently heard a really funny, long joke?" Then they start to recite it but start telling it out of order and it's not funny, probably due to their own misunderstanding and disconnect to the joke? That's how this book reads.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You enjoyed the first few seasons of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" where the characters' only developed trait was selfishness.
* You love listening to people share the memories of others
* You thought that that one episode of Felicity was heart-warming. You know, (Friends - from season 1) where Amy Jo Johnson runs off to find family that doesn't want to be found.
This book is about nothing more than memory; (racial) passing, familial ties, and winding narratives between generations are simple topics that take us from cover-to-cover, but the reader never gets anything of depth from those stories. The worthiness in this book is in the concept of writing in memory format and, frankly, I would not recommend that writing style for the majority of stories or writers. If you are not familiar with what I'm mentioning, here is an example of how it reads --- the book is broken into chapters (named by their year) but you'll jump between the recent past, to the future, to the far back past, to the present in the matter of a single page. It's like a Christopher Nolan film but without any action, major story lines, or cues that you're jumping time. Oh, and it's all in a non-omniscient third person narrative. So you're basically reading a third person's hearsay of people's feelings and minor family ties. But that person (narrator) may have once been a stereotypical professor of the dramatics, who occasionally uses very strange descriptions for basic scenes.
Have you ever had somebody tell you that they "recently heard a really funny, long joke?" Then they start to recite it but start telling it out of order and it's not funny, probably due to their own misunderstanding and disconnect to the joke? That's how this book reads.
You will enjoy this book if...
* You enjoyed the first few seasons of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" where the characters' only developed trait was selfishness.
* You love listening to people share the memories of others
* You thought that that one episode of Felicity was heart-warming. You know, (Friends - from season 1) where Amy Jo Johnson runs off to find family that doesn't want to be found.