marionhoney's reviews
344 reviews

Negroes with Guns by Robert F. Williams

dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

This should be required reading in all American high schools. Why weren't we taught this?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, and Police brutality

Minor: Death, Genocide, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Classism

Minor: Racism and Antisemitism

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I really enjoyed reading the Introduction last, as it gave more context to what was going on in Steinbeck’s life that influenced the writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexism, Violence, and Colonisation

Anarchist Communism by Peter Kropotkin

challenging hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Slavery, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

The Lost Landscape by Joyce Carol Oates

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I have had this on my bookshelf for many years having originally acquired it for free. I was reading it to charity shop it, but ended up liking it so much that I am keeping it now to read again one day. She writes, her style is how I imagine I would write if I were to pen a memoir.

There were a couple moments of unexamined antiblackness-in-the-US that didn't sit well with me (imagery of a boy eating watermelon, her proximity to race riots in Detroit). That I wish had been acknowledged or explored further. Also the way she speaks about her autistic sister... I don't want to judge someone's grief and how they process difficult circumstances. But I kept thinking about how much I've been exposed to disability justice in the last year and how this felt so far from that framework. These elements complicated my feelings toward the author for what otherwise was close a 5-star reading experience for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Classism

Decolonising My Body: A Radical Exploration of Beauty and Self-Care Rituals Around the World by Afua Hirsch

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

While there were some standout one liner moments of metaphor, I kept feeling uneasy throughout. Too heavy handed? And some uncomfortable character descriptions that felt ableist or anti-fat. More melancholic than the spirit lift I was hoping for. 

Space Crone by Ursula K. Le Guin

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

challenging emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I still think her boyfriend kinda sucked though.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25