lewisalex10's reviews
169 reviews

Basketball (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated by Shea Serrano

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

Still thinking about Shea’s definition of “memory heroes”—this book felt like a dedication to them. I also appreciated Shea’s adamance on giving Allen Iverson a championship. A daily dream scenario of mine.

Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Black people. We here & we finna be here. Possibility. Another world is possible. Ain’t yet here… “but we working.” Thank you for this invitation home, Nate Marshall.

Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist's Freedom Song by Marlon Peterson

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I first learned about Marlon Peterson when reading the essay “Echo” in Kiese Laymon’s How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. His heart towards helping hurt men heal weaves its way through Bird Uncaged—helping me along my journey towards being a “better un-American.”

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

TJR has this way of immersing you in her writing where you forget the characters are actually fictional because they feel so real. Between the two books I’ve read from her, Malibu Rising & Daisy Jones, she hasn’t missed yet.

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I prefer My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but the turn in this novel definitely jolted me backwards in shock. It’s a slow build, one that often feels like it’s meandering meaninglessly, but you get some sentence candy along the way.

Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas

emotional hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

This book kept me in awe throughout. With every name drop, another web spun—tying J Dilla's legacy to those who came before and those who currently shape our musical landscape. Grids divinely placed in imperfect rhythm.

Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My first 5-star read of 2022. I’m glad I stumbled upon this book and its beautiful, twisted questions. I think this novel took me through every emotion—and made me contemplate the vast worlds inside each of us.

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

This book confused me and contained me. It made no sense and all the sense. It asked the questions I long to ask and reminded me there’s life beyond what came before.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The narrator in this book is the kind of character you know you’d hate in person but somehow experiencing them on the page brings forth some sort of affection. This book feels like grainy iPhone photos zoomed in on inanimate objects for aesthetic and also like the past few years.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

My first Octavia novel. In this book, Dana is brought face to face with her history—a promise that we survive, that there are Black people in the future, and also that, for many of us, unspeakable horrors line our pasts towards our present.