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notesbynnenna's Reviews (513)
I was 100% influenced by the cover to pick this one up. One week before her wedding, Georgia gets in her car, leaves everyone behind, and drives to her family’s vineyard. She’s reeling from a secret about her fiancé she’s just discovered and she goes home hoping to find some comfort in the familiar. Well, home is not quite the safe haven that she hoped it would be because everyone in her family is dealing with their own issues.
This book is set in wine country, which is fun. It definitely made me want to go on some wine tastings. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about the writing bothered me. Also, the book was totally predictable. I thought the family dynamics were a bit strange and I would have liked further development of all of the characters. This book is about the different paths in life that we take, but that theme is only lightly explored. It was a quick and light beach read, but I wouldn’t go into it looking for much more than that.
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2.5 stars
This book is set in wine country, which is fun. It definitely made me want to go on some wine tastings. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about the writing bothered me. Also, the book was totally predictable. I thought the family dynamics were a bit strange and I would have liked further development of all of the characters. This book is about the different paths in life that we take, but that theme is only lightly explored. It was a quick and light beach read, but I wouldn’t go into it looking for much more than that.
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2.5 stars
When Toni Morrison says a book is required reading, you read it. Written as a letter to his son, Coates explores the concept of “race” in America. He discusses his childhood and growing up on the streets, and his period of discovery when he attended Howard, the Mecca.
Coates describes race as an idea constructed by society and how black bodies have been affected by this construct for years. He writes about learning to question everything, rather than accepting ideas or “norms” as they are. He discusses the moment that his son realized the world is not a fair place, and his own realization of the gulf that exists between the world and him.
This was certainly a powerful and thought-provoking read. There were ideas that I’d never considered before and I think it’s difficult not to feel some despair while reading about some of the things that Coates has experienced. There are no quick or easy solutions. Acknowledging and accepting that there are problems is important, as is continuing to seek answers. It is a fairly short book, but if you plan to read it, I’d encourage you to take it slowly to really absorb his words.
Coates describes race as an idea constructed by society and how black bodies have been affected by this construct for years. He writes about learning to question everything, rather than accepting ideas or “norms” as they are. He discusses the moment that his son realized the world is not a fair place, and his own realization of the gulf that exists between the world and him.
This was certainly a powerful and thought-provoking read. There were ideas that I’d never considered before and I think it’s difficult not to feel some despair while reading about some of the things that Coates has experienced. There are no quick or easy solutions. Acknowledging and accepting that there are problems is important, as is continuing to seek answers. It is a fairly short book, but if you plan to read it, I’d encourage you to take it slowly to really absorb his words.
The sense of accomplishment that I feel after finishing this book is real, guys. Over the course of two months, I read this as a buddy read with Ameriie. I’d previously read an abridged version and I’ve seen the movie several times, so I had a pretty good idea of the story (or at least I thought I did!).
In terms of language and writing style, I think this classic is very accessible. Normally it takes me some pages to settle into the different style, but I was engaged from the very beginning. It doesn’t hurt that this novel is quite fast-paced (even more so if you’re reading the abridged version, from what I’ve been told).
There’s revenge and romance, duels and disguises; basically everything I could want in one novel. There are so many characters to love in this book and it is truly a great adventure to follow the course of the Count’s life for a period of about 25 years (my math might be off there- feel free to correct me).
Let’s talk about the size of this book. I will admit that seeing a page count of 1462 pages is very daunting, but don’t let it stop you. I read this book in short spurts over a long period of time, until the last 330 pages, which I read in a day. I’m sure that if you set your mind to it, you could easily finish this book in a much shorter time frame than I did. And the story is so worth it! Except for a few chapters here and there, I was intrigued by the plot the entire time.
Long story short, The Count of Monte Cristo was excellent and I’d read it again (although not anytime soon ;)
In terms of language and writing style, I think this classic is very accessible. Normally it takes me some pages to settle into the different style, but I was engaged from the very beginning. It doesn’t hurt that this novel is quite fast-paced (even more so if you’re reading the abridged version, from what I’ve been told).
There’s revenge and romance, duels and disguises; basically everything I could want in one novel. There are so many characters to love in this book and it is truly a great adventure to follow the course of the Count’s life for a period of about 25 years (my math might be off there- feel free to correct me).
Let’s talk about the size of this book. I will admit that seeing a page count of 1462 pages is very daunting, but don’t let it stop you. I read this book in short spurts over a long period of time, until the last 330 pages, which I read in a day. I’m sure that if you set your mind to it, you could easily finish this book in a much shorter time frame than I did. And the story is so worth it! Except for a few chapters here and there, I was intrigued by the plot the entire time.
Long story short, The Count of Monte Cristo was excellent and I’d read it again (although not anytime soon ;)
Before today, I would have called myself a Jane Austen fan, but really I was a Pride and Prejudice fan because that was the only Austen novel I’d read up until this month. I wasn’t sure which Austen to pick up next, but a few people recommended that I turn to Persuasion.
Persuasion was a slow burn for me. Of course, in the beginning, I was comparing it to Pride and Prejudice, which is a book that I fell in love with right away. Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, one of three sisters in a well-respected family in the English countryside. When Anne is a teenager, she falls in love with a sailor named Wentworth, but is persuaded not to marry him due to his lower rank in society.
It wasn’t until I was about 80 pages in that I began to identify with Anne and connect to the story. Anne is often overlooked and taken for granted, but she has a quite strength and grace that is very compelling. I could see some of myself in Anne with her sensitive and analytical nature, and her desire to please others. I also appreciated Anne’s patience in dealing with her family, who all seem like a bunch of nincompoops. I can’t imagine it being easy to put up with them!
Austen’s writing slowly draws the reader into Anne’s world and even from an early stage, I was rooting for Anne. It doesn’t matter that it was written hundreds of years ago- Austen’s characters and their desires and struggles still feel very relevant today. There was one moment in particular that just filled me with delight, to the point that I actually squealed and gasped when I read it (it’s pretty well known, I’m sure you could guess if you’ve read the book). I can’t wait to watch the adaptations of Persuasion and I’m looking forward to my next Austen.
Persuasion was a slow burn for me. Of course, in the beginning, I was comparing it to Pride and Prejudice, which is a book that I fell in love with right away. Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, one of three sisters in a well-respected family in the English countryside. When Anne is a teenager, she falls in love with a sailor named Wentworth, but is persuaded not to marry him due to his lower rank in society.
It wasn’t until I was about 80 pages in that I began to identify with Anne and connect to the story. Anne is often overlooked and taken for granted, but she has a quite strength and grace that is very compelling. I could see some of myself in Anne with her sensitive and analytical nature, and her desire to please others. I also appreciated Anne’s patience in dealing with her family, who all seem like a bunch of nincompoops. I can’t imagine it being easy to put up with them!
Austen’s writing slowly draws the reader into Anne’s world and even from an early stage, I was rooting for Anne. It doesn’t matter that it was written hundreds of years ago- Austen’s characters and their desires and struggles still feel very relevant today. There was one moment in particular that just filled me with delight, to the point that I actually squealed and gasped when I read it (it’s pretty well known, I’m sure you could guess if you’ve read the book). I can’t wait to watch the adaptations of Persuasion and I’m looking forward to my next Austen.
Oh how I missed you, Claire and Jaime. This second novel in the Outlander series picks up where the first left off, beginning in the modern age and then moving to the past. Claire and Jaime have traveled to a new country and have to find ways to adjust to their new life. There’s court intrigue, political plots, lavish parties, and more. I won’t say more about the plot other than that, since this is the second book in a series.
My first feeling when I started this book was delight at being back in this world. I missed the setting, the characters, and being wrapped up in their lives. I loved the first half of the book and reading descriptions of the new setting. If you’ve read the book, I’ll just say that I’m fascinated by that time and that country, so the first half of the book ticked all of my boxes.
In the second half, the political plot line takes prominence, which I don’t find as interesting as other themes in the novel. For that reason, the second half dragged a bit for me, although I was still interested enough to keep reading. I’m still impressed, however, by how throughly Gabaldon researched the time period and how accurate the setting feels. I mean, I haven’t fact-checked her work, but I think the readers can sense when the author has thoroughly and carefully constructed their world.
Dragonfly in Amber didn’t grab me the same way that Outlander did, with the novelty of discovering a new, rich world filled with compelling characters. Despite that and despite the somewhat uneven reading experience, I enjoyed this second installment and would like to continue the series at some point.
My first feeling when I started this book was delight at being back in this world. I missed the setting, the characters, and being wrapped up in their lives. I loved the first half of the book and reading descriptions of the new setting. If you’ve read the book, I’ll just say that I’m fascinated by that time and that country, so the first half of the book ticked all of my boxes.
In the second half, the political plot line takes prominence, which I don’t find as interesting as other themes in the novel. For that reason, the second half dragged a bit for me, although I was still interested enough to keep reading. I’m still impressed, however, by how throughly Gabaldon researched the time period and how accurate the setting feels. I mean, I haven’t fact-checked her work, but I think the readers can sense when the author has thoroughly and carefully constructed their world.
Dragonfly in Amber didn’t grab me the same way that Outlander did, with the novelty of discovering a new, rich world filled with compelling characters. Despite that and despite the somewhat uneven reading experience, I enjoyed this second installment and would like to continue the series at some point.
Five years ago, Aubrey Hamilton’s husband vanished into thin air. No one knows what happened to him and for a while, Aubrey was a prime suspect in the case of his disappearance. The book begins in the present, with the State of Tennessee declaring Josh Hamilton legally dead. Although Aubrey hasn’t found the answers or closure that she wanted, she decides to try and move on with her life, until strange events cause her to question everything she thought she knew about her life before.
I’m still a bit mad about this book, which had an ending that left me feeling duped, and not in a good way. I mean, I like a good plot twist as much as the next person, but it has to make sense and fall into place with the rest of the story. I want a plot twist to be exciting because I didn’t see it coming, not because the author pulled it out of a rabbit hole, just for the sake of having a plot twist.
My overall conclusion is that while this was an entertaining read, it wasn’t compelling enough for me to recommend it to others.
I’m still a bit mad about this book, which had an ending that left me feeling duped, and not in a good way. I mean, I like a good plot twist as much as the next person, but it has to make sense and fall into place with the rest of the story. I want a plot twist to be exciting because I didn’t see it coming, not because the author pulled it out of a rabbit hole, just for the sake of having a plot twist.
My overall conclusion is that while this was an entertaining read, it wasn’t compelling enough for me to recommend it to others.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ahhhh, I loved this book! I loved it even more than GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN, which I really enjoyed.
You’ve got Danika, who’s smart, funny, and knows what she wants (most of the time). And then there’s Zafir, the hot security guard who’s in touch with his feelings and reads romance novels (*swoon*). Dani and Zaf are friends and have a good little flirtation going, but after a video of them goes viral, they start fake dating to boost publicity for Zaf’s sports charity. And you know what happens when two people start fake dating in a romance book (!!).
This was seriously adorable. I loved Dani and Zaf together, I felt like they really complemented each other. Also, Zaf has anxiety and I appreciated the author including that representation in the story and showing how he manages his anxiety while continuing to live his life.
In addition to the romance, the best part of this book is the dialogue and banter between the characters. The writing made me laugh out loud a few times and when I finished the book I had the best warm and fuzzy feelings. Ohhh, and did I mention how deliciously steamy this was?
Ahhhh, I loved this book! I loved it even more than GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN, which I really enjoyed.
You’ve got Danika, who’s smart, funny, and knows what she wants (most of the time). And then there’s Zafir, the hot security guard who’s in touch with his feelings and reads romance novels (*swoon*). Dani and Zaf are friends and have a good little flirtation going, but after a video of them goes viral, they start fake dating to boost publicity for Zaf’s sports charity. And you know what happens when two people start fake dating in a romance book (!!).
This was seriously adorable. I loved Dani and Zaf together, I felt like they really complemented each other. Also, Zaf has anxiety and I appreciated the author including that representation in the story and showing how he manages his anxiety while continuing to live his life.
In addition to the romance, the best part of this book is the dialogue and banter between the characters. The writing made me laugh out loud a few times and when I finished the book I had the best warm and fuzzy feelings. Ohhh, and did I mention how deliciously steamy this was?
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
I loved the premise of this one: four friends decide to do an escape room together as a fun Friday activity, but the night quickly turns sinister when they realize that the Game Master won’t let them leave. It was a very quick read! This is a bit random, but it reminded me of a plot arc on Pretty Little Liars when the girls were kidnapped and trapped in a house and A kept messing with them. All that’s to say that I can see this being adapted for the screen and working well that way. In the end I liked it, but didn’t love it, as I felt that it skewed on the younger side of YA and I wasn’t the intended audience. I think a younger reader might enjoy this more than I did.
I loved the premise of this one: four friends decide to do an escape room together as a fun Friday activity, but the night quickly turns sinister when they realize that the Game Master won’t let them leave. It was a very quick read! This is a bit random, but it reminded me of a plot arc on Pretty Little Liars when the girls were kidnapped and trapped in a house and A kept messing with them. All that’s to say that I can see this being adapted for the screen and working well that way. In the end I liked it, but didn’t love it, as I felt that it skewed on the younger side of YA and I wasn’t the intended audience. I think a younger reader might enjoy this more than I did.
This was an enjoyable read. I picked this up because I loved the idea of mixing knitting with romance, two things I really enjoy. And it really did warm my heart that knitting was such a central part of this story. I loved the descriptions of the yarns and discussion of how special yarn stores are, how they can be a place for gathering and community.
The sense of community as family is really strong in this book. The Strong brothers are not all related by blood, but they were raised together by the matriarch, Mama Joy, and they’ve chosen each other as family. We also get to see how Kerry and the community rally around the Strong brothers after Mama Joy’s unexpected death. I’m realizing more and more that I love stories around chosen families, as I think it’s so special when that happens.
I also loved the way the book tackled the stigma of men who knit, as if knitting is only for girls or women. In the book, there’s a young boy that’s being teased for being into knitting and our main characters make it very clear that there is nothing wrong with being male and liking knitting. I appreciated the author highlighting that because I feel like it’s still quite common to view knitting as a “female” activity, whatever that means.
Although I did enjoy this book, I also wanted more. I wanted a slightly faster pace (it felt slow to me), a bit more steam, and perhaps a little more character development, specifically for Jesse. Those are all personal preferences, of course! I just felt like the pacing and the romance could have used a bit of oomph.
I think my expectations were a little high and I don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much if knitting wasn’t such a key part of the story. All of that said, there were a lot of elements that I really enjoyed in this book, including the diverse group of characters and the story being set in Harlem. It was a fun read with a great premise, and I’m happy that I read it!
The sense of community as family is really strong in this book. The Strong brothers are not all related by blood, but they were raised together by the matriarch, Mama Joy, and they’ve chosen each other as family. We also get to see how Kerry and the community rally around the Strong brothers after Mama Joy’s unexpected death. I’m realizing more and more that I love stories around chosen families, as I think it’s so special when that happens.
I also loved the way the book tackled the stigma of men who knit, as if knitting is only for girls or women. In the book, there’s a young boy that’s being teased for being into knitting and our main characters make it very clear that there is nothing wrong with being male and liking knitting. I appreciated the author highlighting that because I feel like it’s still quite common to view knitting as a “female” activity, whatever that means.
Although I did enjoy this book, I also wanted more. I wanted a slightly faster pace (it felt slow to me), a bit more steam, and perhaps a little more character development, specifically for Jesse. Those are all personal preferences, of course! I just felt like the pacing and the romance could have used a bit of oomph.
I think my expectations were a little high and I don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much if knitting wasn’t such a key part of the story. All of that said, there were a lot of elements that I really enjoyed in this book, including the diverse group of characters and the story being set in Harlem. It was a fun read with a great premise, and I’m happy that I read it!
Wow, where does one even begin in reviewing such a powerful book? This book is an education that everyone needs.
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING took me on such a journey. To say that this book is eye-opening feels like an understatement. This book is perspective-shifting. It made me reconsider everything that I’d been taught in school growing up and recognize the huge gaps in the version of history I’d been told.
This book takes you through the history of America, starting with the formation of this country (and its years as a colony of Britain) and leading up to the near present day, ending in 2016 when this book was written. As far as the structure of this book, it’s divided into five parts around five individuals who are important to the history of racism in America: Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Angela Davis.
There is a wealth of information here: it is so well-researched and well-written. Yes, it is dense with information, but I found it so very readable and digestible. There’s so much to unpack in this book and I couldn’t possibly do it justice here, but I thought I’d talk about a few ideas that really stood out to me.
1. History shows that racial progress and the progression of racism have been happening at the same time. When you see the full history of racism laid out before you, as it is in this book, it’s also easy to see that even when racial progress has been made, racism has never been eradicated. Racism continues to evolve and shift and rebrand itself over time and that’s something we must be vigilant about.
2. So many of the prominent American figures we were taught to praise in school were actually trash. Ok ok, that’s an oversimplification, but so is the version of history that is being taught in classrooms, or at least the classrooms that I was in growing up. For example, with Abraham Lincoln, we were given the top-level narrative of him as the “Great Emancipator” who freed the slaves, when in reality he did not care about Black people, did not believe they should be treated equally, and wrote the Emancipation Proclamation as a tactic to save the Union. This book just made me realize that we need to critically examine all these historical figures because none of them were perfect. If you dig a bit beneath the surface you’ll learn a lot more about the complexities of their lives, which is important in the context of understanding who they were as people.
3. I love how clearly and often Kendi points out racist ideas in this book. I had to admit that I’ve internalized certain racist ideas. I think it’s pretty hard not to when you grow up learning certain things in school and picking up on ideas that your parents have passed down to you. That’s the insidiousness of racism. Some of it is overt but a lot of it is subtle and you don’t realize how many racist ideas you’ve unknowingly consumed until you know. I remember being taught a form of respectability politics, being teased at school for “talking white” (I didn’t know how else to speak), thinking that a weave would make me prettier. It’s tough to let go of some of these ideas because I’m 30 years old now and I’ve been learning them for a long time. But that’s the work that I want to do and that we all need to do: unlearning and relearning.
So those are just a few of the thoughts I had as I was reading the book. I annotated a lot while I was reading this and participated in a big bookstagram read along for this. It was great having so many people to discuss it with and the two Zoom discussions we had were so much fun and absolutely enriching. In our second discussion, we talked about how Black women were often glossed over in the narrative, even in the Angela Davis section. I think that is definitely a valid criticism of this book.
I already know that I will be referring back to this book frequently and I’d like to read the YA version as well, at some point, to reinforce what I’ve learned here.
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING took me on such a journey. To say that this book is eye-opening feels like an understatement. This book is perspective-shifting. It made me reconsider everything that I’d been taught in school growing up and recognize the huge gaps in the version of history I’d been told.
This book takes you through the history of America, starting with the formation of this country (and its years as a colony of Britain) and leading up to the near present day, ending in 2016 when this book was written. As far as the structure of this book, it’s divided into five parts around five individuals who are important to the history of racism in America: Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Angela Davis.
There is a wealth of information here: it is so well-researched and well-written. Yes, it is dense with information, but I found it so very readable and digestible. There’s so much to unpack in this book and I couldn’t possibly do it justice here, but I thought I’d talk about a few ideas that really stood out to me.
1. History shows that racial progress and the progression of racism have been happening at the same time. When you see the full history of racism laid out before you, as it is in this book, it’s also easy to see that even when racial progress has been made, racism has never been eradicated. Racism continues to evolve and shift and rebrand itself over time and that’s something we must be vigilant about.
2. So many of the prominent American figures we were taught to praise in school were actually trash. Ok ok, that’s an oversimplification, but so is the version of history that is being taught in classrooms, or at least the classrooms that I was in growing up. For example, with Abraham Lincoln, we were given the top-level narrative of him as the “Great Emancipator” who freed the slaves, when in reality he did not care about Black people, did not believe they should be treated equally, and wrote the Emancipation Proclamation as a tactic to save the Union. This book just made me realize that we need to critically examine all these historical figures because none of them were perfect. If you dig a bit beneath the surface you’ll learn a lot more about the complexities of their lives, which is important in the context of understanding who they were as people.
3. I love how clearly and often Kendi points out racist ideas in this book. I had to admit that I’ve internalized certain racist ideas. I think it’s pretty hard not to when you grow up learning certain things in school and picking up on ideas that your parents have passed down to you. That’s the insidiousness of racism. Some of it is overt but a lot of it is subtle and you don’t realize how many racist ideas you’ve unknowingly consumed until you know. I remember being taught a form of respectability politics, being teased at school for “talking white” (I didn’t know how else to speak), thinking that a weave would make me prettier. It’s tough to let go of some of these ideas because I’m 30 years old now and I’ve been learning them for a long time. But that’s the work that I want to do and that we all need to do: unlearning and relearning.
So those are just a few of the thoughts I had as I was reading the book. I annotated a lot while I was reading this and participated in a big bookstagram read along for this. It was great having so many people to discuss it with and the two Zoom discussions we had were so much fun and absolutely enriching. In our second discussion, we talked about how Black women were often glossed over in the narrative, even in the Angela Davis section. I think that is definitely a valid criticism of this book.
I already know that I will be referring back to this book frequently and I’d like to read the YA version as well, at some point, to reinforce what I’ve learned here.