maddness22's reviews
715 reviews

Intimations by Zadie Smith

reflective slow-paced

4.25

An incredible reflection on 2020 while 2020 was still occurring. The thoughts on filling time and how love adds space to that time were probably the most compelling and I also enjoyed the conversations about class differences. Not a bad very short collection of essays overall with some great depth to them. 

Wonder Woman, Volume 2: Guts by Matthew Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher, Cliff Chiang, Kano, Tony Akins, Brian Azzarello, Dan Green

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

The character designs were really cool here. It's also fun seeing Wonder Woman face off against the Greek Gods and her different dynamics against them. But you can absolutely tell this was written by men. The armor when she goes to face Hell was cool as heck though. Amazing design. 

Ms. Marvel: Metamorphosis by G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Ms. Marvel is always a delight and this was no exception with the side plot about her evil ex-crush breaking her heart and making her doubt her self-worth. I'm actually disappointed that this storyline ended so prematurely with the end of the world even though it ended splendidly. I wasn't a huge fan of the art or story with the ending one off comics with SHIELD and Spiderman but the main comics were great. 

This Messy Magnificent Life: A Field Guide by Geneen Roth

funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.25

It's wild how much of this book somehow addressed the current specific concerns of my life when I just picked it up randomly from the library. I'm also grateful that it's an incredibly quick read. It does a good job validating specific experiences and thoughts, but I wish it goes more in depth on some of the introduced topics. I felt like it jumped around a bit and I was often surprised when a chapter ended because I thought there would be more to the subject. There's definitely a California self-help vibe to the writing and I feel like this is meant as a supplement to the writer's existing work (that I didn't know about prior to borrowing this book from the library) rather than a standalone, but there's still some incredibly beneficial insights and moments in it. 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

funny hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a delight! It was a very unique story with a compelling lead. I loved Elizabeth's voice and loved how it permeated my thoughts. I had issues with the narrative structure, particularly with the repetitive nature of the lore reveals and the back and forth timelines, but overall this was a delightful and empowering read with a ton of heart. Also one of the best dog books I've ever read. 10/10 I would die for Six Thirty 

System Collapse by Martha Wells

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

This was fine. I really liked the voice of the Murderbot and his natural progression to understanding his PTSD. But I found it somewhat hard to keep track of the story and plot through his perspective just because I'm not used to the voice and unreliable narrator perspective of this universe. The characters were fun though and I understand the Murderbot hype now because it's very fun. 

Hunger by Roxane Gay

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Unflinchingly honest and vulnerable. I decided to read this book because I've been feeling sensitive about my own body for a bit now and Roxane Gay's vulnerability and raw honesty about deviating from normal beauty standards with a larger size spoke very openly to me. She gets it. Her insight is incredible and offers a new perspective on what it means to be fat in a world that condemns the act. She's both unapologetic and sensitive about her weight and it's a refreshing read. I think everyone should try to give this a go just to see how the world looks from the perspective of a larger woman. The topics she explores about her relationships and self-discovery were also very compelling. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Oh my god. This book was so dynamite. I felt SO MANY THINGS. It's a very slow start at first and, generally speaking, it's mostly a 4 star read where I wish it focused more on the Old Hollywood aspects rather than the various relationships. But then that Chapter 64 reveal was so *chef's kiss* absolutely pitch perfect and the book remains at that 5 star read high for the rest of the novel. I couldn't put it down! Phenomenal and worthy of every single high note of praise given to it. Both emotionally moving and blockbuster in its storytelling. This is the first time in a while that a book physically moved me to walk around and scream while reading it because I couldn't contain my emotions for it. Well done. I'll be riding this reader high for a while. 

Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House by Eleanor Herman

funny informative medium-paced

4.75

While I had problems with the childish writing style at times and the emotional speculation, I had a great time with this book. I absolutely devoured the chapters about Wilson, Harding, and Eisenhower, mainly because all of these affairs were relatively fresh to my knowledge and entertaining at the same time. I think this is an incredibly fun read for presidential nerds with incredible insight not only into the relationships, but into the political styles of the presidents as well through a digestible writing style. I'll probably pick up more from this author if I come across any more of her books! I loved how entertaining she made education. 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

A powerful and compelling novel! I wasn't super on board with the narrative structure at first and true crime/fiction based on actual events never settles well with me, but this was very well done with great and natural exploration of all of the ways that misogyny threatens women's lives. I couldn't put the book down by the end of it. I almost wish they insulted The Defendant more, honestly. I needed him to be put through more hell than what he got but hey that's just how life goes, right?