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melissagopp's reviews
237 reviews
Still Life at Eighty: the Next Interesting Thing by Abigail Thomas
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I listened to the audio version of this memoir, read by the author’s daughter. A line near the end sums up the purpose and beauty of the book when she reads, "The murderers among us would have us believe that history is slippery and unknowable. Insisting otherwise is an act of defiance.” Nguon has performed her own act of defiance by not only thriving after unthinkable hardship but by putting this book with her memories, true stories, and culinary heritage into the world. I was surprised to find that even the recipes translated well into audio. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen in exchange for an honest review.
Can Buddhists Wear Mascara? (and Other Things I've Googled) by Jenny Noble Anderson
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
My Withered Legs and Other Essays by Sandra Gail Lambert
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I so enjoyed this collection of essays on love, nature, aging, creativity, activism, and more. With the added lens of queerness and disability, the author shares potent insights into the reality of caregiving between parent and child and even romantic partners. Her stoic kayaking trip down the Myakka River rang especially true and vivid. As a fellow Floridian, I’ve retreated in terror from those same alligator-infested waters. I also appreciated getting a window into the author’s writing life. She sticks the landing in her final whirlwind of an essay on health complications and the much anticipated release of her memoir, A Certain Loneliness. Thank you to the University of Georgia Press for the advance reader copy. This was a pleasure to read.