papercraftalex's reviews
363 reviews

Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love by Tori Dunlap

funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is the perfect beginner's finance book. It breaks things down so easily without shame in a very easy to read way. I love how Tori never makes anyone feel bad if they've made financial mistakes in the past and she acknowledges systemic issues that keep people (especially women and people of color) impoverished. It's definitely a book you should read slowly so you can absorb all the information and do the journal prompts (which are a really important addition; knowing why you make the decisions you make allows you to actually change). You don't have to be a woman to read this; Tori includes many other voices too to speak on different topics, which I appreciated. Financial Feminist is really worth the read whether you're just beginning to enter the adult world or fully immersed, whether you're in massive amounts of debt or you have a massive savings account you don't want to touch. She holds your hand through it all in a way I wish adults did when I was a child. I'm going to make my 16 year old brother read this next.

Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam

3.5

This was a cute graphic novel, but I think it lacked depth and felt rushed. The side characters changed very quickly and it didn't feel like a developed arc. It's supposed to be a series, so I think it could have been spaced out better. The world building wasn't very strong, but that doesn't bother me. I was bothered by the cliched plot. It didn't feel very original and it felt a little young for the middle-grade category. I think younger children will enjoy and get a lot out of it! I still may read the next volumes because it does seem like the author has potential to grow.

Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Boys Weekend was a great exploration of transmisogyny, toxic masculinity, and growing out of friendships, but the plot was a bit underdeveloped. The book would have been amazing if it were longer and had the chance to explore cults more, but the conflict sped by too quickly and didn't really make sense. The story was still good and the characterization and art were great. I still recommend and I hope the author has more chances to expand their writing in the future. 

The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a truly heartfelt graphic novel. It was actually more scary than I thought it would be, but I am a scaredy cat. The art is so detailed and almost comic book like, and it works well with the story. The characters all feel very real and very much like middle schoolers. There is great representation with an autistic main character and a trans main character; the autistic main character was really well done and it never felt like she needed to change herself

in fact, her autism and understanding of being misunderstood is what ends up saving the day

. Overall, I highly recommend. 

Romanticize Your Life: 365 Simple Ways to Embrace the Beauty of Every Day by Harper Celebrate

1.0

I had high hopes for this book and it was incredibly disappointing. It is basically like one of those daily calendars you tear a page off every day, there is nothing substantial or original about it. It is very consumerist. Half of the tips were so basic and lukewarm, and the other half were actively harmful. Do not put essential oils in the dryer. Do not support the police. Do not "find your spirit animal." It wouldn't surprise me if this book was written a decade ago. 

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cosmic Companion Workbook: A Guide for Incorporating Astrology Into Your Life by The Pulp Girls, The Pulp Girls

informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

This was a great workbook for learning the basics of astrology! The unique art style featured on The Pulp Girls' social media is also prominent in the workbook, which makes it so aesthetically pleasing. The workbook is broken up into learning the very basics (signs, planets, houses), learning how to use astrology for self-reflection, compatibility, basic astrological events (new and full moons and mercury retrogrades, and some quintessential Pulp Girls activities like a word search and tarot cards for each of the signs. While the information is very beginner, I think everyone can utilize the journal prompts and get something new out of it!

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

What You Are Looking For Is In the Library is an absolutely stunning short story collection for all book lovers. It truly shows the power of libraries and reading in such a heartfelt and inspiring way. I want everyone to read this.

The Leaping Hare Nature Almanac: Your Yearlong Mindful Guide to Reconnecting with Nature by Leaping Hare Press

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

The Leaping Hare Nature Almanac has an abundance of information, mental exercises, and reflections for nature minded people. I particularly liked the meditations; they were written similarly to visualization guided meditation would be and it would work so well as an audiobook. It was also full of great information for gardening, but it seemed limited to the UK and to those who can garden. It does have a few sections about urban and community gardening, but most of the tips seemed inaccessible for people without wide resources. It was organized very well and would be good to read month-to-month; reading it all in one go made it a bit repetitive. The illustrations are gorgeous and add to the calming tone of the book. 

I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Aces Wild at its heart is about family, including found family. The characters are all so realistic and well defined. There are moments of thrill and excitement, but also moments of absolute queer joy. I feel so lucky to have the chance to read a book with mostly ace characters when that is so rare. I think fans of One Last Stop would really enjoy Aces Wild.

Karmen by Guillem March

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Karmen is a comic that explores suicide, death, and selfishness. It's also a comic that feels the need to have it's titular character have rock hard nipples and make a lot of fart jokes. The art style is stunning and it had incredible world-building, but it's overall message was shaming people who consider suicide and was written by an obviously misogynistic man. There was no need for the man character to be naked for most of the novel. The message also was so on-the-nose and cheesy at the climax. I would have loved to see the story fully fleshed out without the sexism and mental health shaming, but that's incredibly ubiquitous so I can't recommend it. 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.