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oosij's reviews
108 reviews
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
4.0
ending left much to be desired (not in a bad way), but i think it's because you finally settle in with the characters only to meet an abrupt end to your adventure with them.
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
(insert a like here like it's letterboxd because i don't rate memoirs) ♥️
there's so little i knew about kelly bishop prior to listening to her memoir, but she had me enthralled from the first moment in. listen to it at 1.2x speed if you want the classic GILMORE GIRLS style fast-paced speaking!
there's so little i knew about kelly bishop prior to listening to her memoir, but she had me enthralled from the first moment in. listen to it at 1.2x speed if you want the classic GILMORE GIRLS style fast-paced speaking!
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
5.0
despite having a couple of qualms, i'm rating this a full five just based off of how enraptured i was reading it. this is THE SECRET HISTORY but make it shakespeare-loving thespians. i think it certainly helps to know some shakespeare to see the parallels (but even knowing the major themes is enough, and that's coming from someone who was Not™️ good at analyzing his plays during high school).
tl;dr: rating this a 5/5 because i want to reread it for the first time again, much like TSH.
tl;dr: rating this a 5/5 because i want to reread it for the first time again, much like TSH.
The Odyssey by Homer
4.0
emily wilson's translation was easy to read and anyone who says her version isn't "good enough" can suck it. i still find it crazy she was able to translate it into iambic pentameter.
i'm also convinced i still remember most of the odyssey because of how repetitive it is lmfao.
i'm also convinced i still remember most of the odyssey because of how repetitive it is lmfao.
Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo
i need storygraph to add heart buttons in like it's letterboxd because i don't rate memoirs, but i still want to show that i enjoyed them.
this felt like an introductory class to the patriarchy, being a woman (of color) in it, body neutrality, being an ally, and being confident in yourself - taught through life lessons experienced by drew. i've been a drew fan since right before she hit her first million on tiktok, and it's never not refreshing to see her in her element. if you were going to read only one "influencer" book in your lifetime, let it be this one.
this felt like an introductory class to the patriarchy, being a woman (of color) in it, body neutrality, being an ally, and being confident in yourself - taught through life lessons experienced by drew. i've been a drew fan since right before she hit her first million on tiktok, and it's never not refreshing to see her in her element. if you were going to read only one "influencer" book in your lifetime, let it be this one.
The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA by Jesse Katz
5.0
while i am someone born and raised in this city, i've been lucky enough to never have known the struggles of a life like giovanni's. it's nonfiction that reads so much like fiction, in both how katz beautifully weaves the story of a hit gone wrong and just the brutal nature of said story.
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
finally got around to reading the pre-order i had lying around in my room for the past six months. i'm quite upset at myself that i didn't read it the moment i received my copy because this was so enthralling. if you know anything about me, it's that i'm a complete sucker for a good korean ass story. i spent the entire time reading this wondering who should play each character if this was made into an actual k-drama (and yes, it most definitely should be a k-drama).
i remember seeing arc reviews yelling about a certain chapter in this book (iykyk), and i literally sat there like ??? for a solid thirty seconds once i got to it. but do i like the ending after what happened in that chapter? personally, not really. i think it would have been intensely and deliciously painful as a reader, but i do understand why it ended the way it did. after all, it's what i fully expect a k-drama to do in the first place! highly recommend. my current june hur fav.
i remember seeing arc reviews yelling about a certain chapter in this book (iykyk), and i literally sat there like ??? for a solid thirty seconds once i got to it. but do i like the ending after what happened in that chapter? personally, not really. i think it would have been intensely and deliciously painful as a reader, but i do understand why it ended the way it did. after all, it's what i fully expect a k-drama to do in the first place! highly recommend. my current june hur fav.
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
3.5
i want to start off by saying i loved ling ma's SEVERANCE, so much so that i ended up purchasing the book after reading a library copy. while i love ma's expert grasp on surrealism even in this anthology of short stories, BLISS MONTAGE didn't hit the same way. this is purely a personal skill issue (lol), as i acknowledge the disorienting beauty of ma's commentary on race, gender, and just the everyday relationships you form in your life; i just wasn't as invested in the stories. i understand this is a shitty way to review a book - to compare an author's works against each other - but perhaps i just had too high expectations? or perhaps my brain power just isn't firing on all cylinders during this weird lapse in time between christmas and new years.
maybe i'll read it again in the future and have a completely different view then. it certainly seems like the perfect book for that type of thing.
maybe i'll read it again in the future and have a completely different view then. it certainly seems like the perfect book for that type of thing.
I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell
3.0
a solidly decent thriller. my guesses ended up being right, so i wouldn't say this is really the plot twist of the century, but i had fun reading it regardless!
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
1.0
first started reading it for cozy luke and lorelai vibes, but desperately wanted to dnf around halfway in. the smut (idk why i was surprised to find smut in this lmao i apparently thought this was just a feel-good fall recommendation) is nothing to write home about, the main characters start off with potential (aka luke and lorelai energy) but stay one note through it all, and the conflicts are staggeringly "who cares!!!" like... girl, get some security cameras.