melissagopp's reviews
237 reviews

The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Shift: A Memoir of Identity and Other Illusions by Penny Guisinger

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this book. This was my first exposure to Penny Guisinger’s writing, which reminds me of the way Jeannine Ouellette writes. She spends less time on telling the reader the surface events of her life (marrying a man and later falling in love with a woman) and focuses more on using metaphor and detail to evoke curiosity and feeling. What does it feel like for your life and identity to fall apart in the throes of parenting young children? How do you rally the courage to step off the edge of everything you’ve ever known? Especially potent is her story of a dying newborn mouse and its similarities to the inner conflict she experienced in taking action around her failing marriage and family. At the same time, her prose about falling in love with a woman is intoxicating. The overall structure is brilliant. I didn’t comprehend that structure while I was reading because I was too busy feeling my way through all the change. But by the end of the book, I could look back and see it, which makes me want to read the book again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Subtract: the Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Koltz

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse by Brontez Purnell

funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

As a memoir connoisseur, I was curious about this collection of autobiographical poems. The poem that sold me: I’m Bloody by Nature, Not ‘Cause I Hate Ya. With humor and stark confessions, Purnell uses blood as a metaphor to examine human behavior and the idea of fault. Basically, it’s complicated. 

Ten Bridges in the title symbolizes the 100 bridges he’s built versus the ten he’s burnt that stick in his critics’ minds. Perhaps one of those burnt bridges was Tommy Chin? A poem by the same name describes a spectacular altercation at the San Francisco Young Gay Poets Luncheon. Point Nemo contains an achingly beautiful perspective on what it might feel like to be in the midst of a depressive episode. If I Had a Time Machine, I Would Kill My Parents… addresses the complexity of family dynamics and intergenerational trauma with plenty of wit thrown in. New words that will forever stick in my mind: guy-o-logical clock and pre-traumatic stress syndrome.

This was a great introduction to a new-to-me, accomplished writer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

A Well Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a powerful, engaging read from a determined writer and survivor. Levings has navigated Christian fundamentalism and abuse at the hands of people and systems who claimed to have her best interests in mind. I loved watching her find her agency in motherhood and writing—both domains that belong to her. The strength she shows in the hospital with baby Clara and later fleeing her abuser in the middle of the night with her children is awe-inspiring. I also appreciated her chapters on recovery and healing. The beautiful ending is a reminder that our stories are never over, and we are forever evolving.

In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict by K.E. Garland

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me by Erin Khar

emotional reflective tense

4.0

A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Thomas Moore

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0