mezzarella's reviews
736 reviews

The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens – and Ourselves by Arik Kershenbaum

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adventurous informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Wow! This book was dense, but so informative and rewarding as a science geek/educator. This would be a great creative read for an AP/IB/AICE Biology course, but also if you've ever wanted to talk about aliens in a more scientific context with family or friends. Not sure what I thought I was getting into when I picked up this book, but I'm glad I did. 
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I appreciated the personal, honest, and blunt way this book was written. It helped me provide a lot of context for different mental health struggles and my own. This book didn't try to pretend that everything gets better overnight or create a preachy message. It was just about a person trying to share their experiences and talk about their challenges with mental health...and haven't we all been there at least once? 
Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

One of the most beautiful short story collections I've ever read. 
It's OK to be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book offers a lot of insight that I had always wanted Sanders' perspectives on, and provided some feedback on questions I had previously grappled with on my own. It helped reignite my interest in political activism and justice, and gave perspectives on what the everyday American can do with their complicated feelings about a behemoth which has become a large part of our cultural, political, and personal lives. 
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There by Tara Schuster

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I've never really found self-help books that offer advice on the best way to live ones' life to be very helpful for me, but this book presented ideas that I had tried (and hadn't) in ways which inspired me to incorporate more life skills into my emotional coping routine. It was a great judge-free book available at a time where I really needed and was ready to listen to it. 
Our Revolution: A Future to Believe in by Bernie Sanders

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I heard this was nominated for a Grammy, and I completely understand why. I listened to the audiobook, and it was truly incredible. The only thing I would have wished for was actually to have had Sanders read the whole thing instead of Ruffalo taking up the later half, but I think it's a fair exchange after realizing that Sanders incorporated filmed audio of his rallies into parts of the book. Definitely recommend for those who were following Bernie back when he was actively campaigning for presidency. It brought forth a lot of positive experiences I had in college when I was learning how to become a more involved citizen. 
Where We Go from Here by Bernie Sanders

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0