oosij's reviews
108 reviews

Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry

4.5

stunning book - i didn't realize how deeply intertwined the color BLUE is with black people. imani perry's voice is just as soothing and lulling as the soft waves that ripple across the shore (another blue!). 

Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut

3.5

not my favorite vonnegut, but i had fun nonetheless. the commentary on humans' effects on the environment/world is still -- if not more -- relevant as hell

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

4.5

jesus fucking christ. i actually audibly gasped and had my jaw dropped multiple times throughout this read. i'm on my hands and knees, suzanne collins, i cannot take it anymoooooore (yes i can, i will eat it up every time like i'm a capital pig, unfortunately). it's actually quite the tragedy knowing everyone's gonna die, and it's almost like you're just constantly asking how it's going to happen... and then you're heartbroken regardless. 

so, so incredibly relevant (still). may we find our own way in stopping the sunrise on the reaping. 

is a hunger games book a recession indicator? yes, i think so. 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

5.0

just so quintessentially john green (positive): humanity, tuberculosis, and hope despite despair

i give everything is tuberculosis 5 stars. 

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

4.5

couldn't stop thinking about all the undocumented people i know and love. couldn't stop getting angry at how racists in this country treat them and the people they know and love. my rating is arbitrary. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang

4.5

i honestly struggled between giving this a flat 4 star rating or a 4.5 but ultimately bumped it up to its extra half-star because i did quite enjoy it and can see myself revisiting this world one day in the future. 

now onto my bullets:

• the beginning half did indeed drag, but i also can't exactly complain when i'm always wanting some proper world-building
• thought this was YA throughout parts of the book lowkey because of just how blatantly kuang drives home the themes (i actually googled to see if it was lmao)
• my first kuang novel, and it's enough for me to dare say she might be a glutton for pain, a sadist for inflicting it on her readers (positive)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood

main character deaths

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

3.0

bulleted list just because (vague spoilers included):

• strong 2010s vibe of "not like other girls"
• her family drove me crazy, patrick drove me insane
• i knew what the ending would be without spoilers, but it was still sad 
• saw reviews after finishing of people being incredibly outraged at will, when the whole point of this book was to show it's not up to the able-bodied person to decide... 
• miss jojo moyes, what the everloving fuck was that "chinese kimonos" line???
• will watch the movie now just because i wanna see emilia clarke and sam claflin lol

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

3.5

started off slow and picked up about halfway in. i finally got around to reading this book because of current events, and BOY, oh boy... it's hitting a little too close to home right now, especially the line about how the beginning of this whole situation started off as all "temporary" measures. it definitely didn't help my anxiety, i can tell you that. i personally don't know if atwood's writing style is for me, which is why i didn't rate it a full four stars. now... how long until i continue the series?

Master of Me by Keke Palmer

no rating for memoirs!

keke palmer is unapologetically herself, and i really admire just how solidly she knows who she is (and how to market herself!!!). i had so much fun listening to this to/from work! it's more of a self-help book based off keke's life lessons. 

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

healing my inner teen by reading more as-am YA stories, and ann liang hits it out of the park once again. i devoured this book in a combined few hours (did i stay up until 4:30am? yes). is it a spoiler to say i liked the IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE vibes?

2 questions:

1. where the hell is my aaron 👊🏻
2. will i ever get to a point in my life where i finally heal and have the same revelation?