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readwithbre's reviews
44 reviews
Bailey's Cafe by Gloria Naylor
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
I don’t normally mind a change in narrator, especially when it makes sense for the story. But this change was incredibly irritating. The female narrator that took over at chapter 7 kept making mistakes every 2 sentences and it ruined the listening experience.
In My Grandmother's House: Black Women, Faith, and the Stories We Inherit by Yolanda Pierce
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Disney+ PJO series announcement inspired a re-read/1st-time audiobook listen.
I didn’t think it was possible to love this series more until I recently learned that Rick Riordan’s inspiration for Percy Jackson was his son’s reading difficulties and love of Greek mythology. And that inspiration comes out in the best of ways in Percy’s character. It was such a delight to reacquaint myself with these characters and this world more than a decade after its conclusion. And it still holds up!
This first installment of the series covers the themes of identity and belonging, family, and friendship really really well while also challenging the virtue of “normalcy.” I love that what is a considered a weakness or a disadvantage (ADHD and dyslexia) in the neurotypical mortal world becomes a strength in the god world. Riordan seems to use Percy’s coming to terms with his demigod status as portal to reinterpreting “normalcy” as relative to circumstances and environment. What a great message for adolescents wrestling with what it means to belong and accept themselves.
Grover’s discovery of the heroism that had been inside him all along after spending so much time feeling like a failure is heartwarming. Anna Beth learning how to trust herself and her friends is inspiring. This cast of characters is just lovely, even in their honest flaws, all around.
As far as the audiobook narration, typically listening to an adolescent white boy ramble for 10 hours non-stop would drive me insane. But it works well for this narrative and the style is actually quite endearing, even if a tad irritating at times.
The only reason I give this a 4/5 stars instead of 5 is for some of the tropes (some heavy-handed fatphobia for instance) that really just didn’t age well.
I didn’t think it was possible to love this series more until I recently learned that Rick Riordan’s inspiration for Percy Jackson was his son’s reading difficulties and love of Greek mythology. And that inspiration comes out in the best of ways in Percy’s character. It was such a delight to reacquaint myself with these characters and this world more than a decade after its conclusion. And it still holds up!
This first installment of the series covers the themes of identity and belonging, family, and friendship really really well while also challenging the virtue of “normalcy.” I love that what is a considered a weakness or a disadvantage (ADHD and dyslexia) in the neurotypical mortal world becomes a strength in the god world. Riordan seems to use Percy’s coming to terms with his demigod status as portal to reinterpreting “normalcy” as relative to circumstances and environment. What a great message for adolescents wrestling with what it means to belong and accept themselves.
Grover’s discovery of the heroism that had been inside him all along after spending so much time feeling like a failure is heartwarming. Anna Beth learning how to trust herself and her friends is inspiring. This cast of characters is just lovely, even in their honest flaws, all around.
As far as the audiobook narration, typically listening to an adolescent white boy ramble for 10 hours non-stop would drive me insane. But it works well for this narrative and the style is actually quite endearing, even if a tad irritating at times.
The only reason I give this a 4/5 stars instead of 5 is for some of the tropes (some heavy-handed fatphobia for instance) that really just didn’t age well.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
I was at how this is characterized as dystopian but nothing in it fits that description at all, as everything that happened are things that are happening now, in real people’s real lives. But I mostly just lost interest in the protagonist.
The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara
My brain wasn’t prepared to fight for its life reading this lol. I really do want to read it but I’m gonna have to return when I’m ready to spend more time mauling over and digesting it.
The non-linear plot structure and unclear time boundaries combined with an 80s black southern dialect that I’m not used to completely threw me off. It’s not a bad thing at all, just something I’ll have to keep it mind when I return to it.
The non-linear plot structure and unclear time boundaries combined with an 80s black southern dialect that I’m not used to completely threw me off. It’s not a bad thing at all, just something I’ll have to keep it mind when I return to it.
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
All I can say is whew! This is a sacred text. Every single essay/speech pierced me in a different way. This is the kind of collection you have to digest slowly, letting every sentence marinate in your soul before you move on. All of Audre’s work is like this, I’ve discovered.
I will be returning to “Eye to Eye” once a week now to have my life read for filth. I’ll be retuning to “Grenada revisited” to remind myself of how crusty U.S. colonialism is and how much they lie to our faces (as if that’s easy to forget). I’ll be returning to that “Letter to Mary Daly” for receipts on how trash white feminism is. I’ll be re-reading “Uses of the Erotic” when I’m tempted to suppress that internal power useful for sustainable change. I’ll come back to “Learning From the 60s” when it’s time to organize for liberation, so as not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. And imma stop here because I could do this with every essay in this collection.
Anyways…read Audre. Always read Audre and read a lot of Audre. You won’t be sorry you did.
I will be returning to “Eye to Eye” once a week now to have my life read for filth. I’ll be retuning to “Grenada revisited” to remind myself of how crusty U.S. colonialism is and how much they lie to our faces (as if that’s easy to forget). I’ll be returning to that “Letter to Mary Daly” for receipts on how trash white feminism is. I’ll be re-reading “Uses of the Erotic” when I’m tempted to suppress that internal power useful for sustainable change. I’ll come back to “Learning From the 60s” when it’s time to organize for liberation, so as not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. And imma stop here because I could do this with every essay in this collection.
Anyways…read Audre. Always read Audre and read a lot of Audre. You won’t be sorry you did.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by francesca ekwuyasi
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I want to write a longer reflection on this at some point but this is quite possibly the best work of fiction I’ve read in recent years.
Ekwuyasi’s ability to make you fall in love with every character and stay on their side, even through some of their mistakes, is brilliant. This is a very character-driven novel that cycles through the perspectives of 3 Nigerian women- identical twins, Taiye and Kehinde, and their mother, Kambirinachi, without being difficult or confusing to follow. There is love, trauma, grief, and exploration of sexuality and all of it is so tenderly handled. The vast representation of queer love is exquisite.
Since I listened to this via audibook, the narrator, Amaka Umeh’s soothing and weighty voice gave extra depth to the characters that were already so vivid on the page.
Such a pleasurable reading experience all around! This is one of those books that is difficult for any other book that comes after to compete against.
Ekwuyasi’s ability to make you fall in love with every character and stay on their side, even through some of their mistakes, is brilliant. This is a very character-driven novel that cycles through the perspectives of 3 Nigerian women- identical twins, Taiye and Kehinde, and their mother, Kambirinachi, without being difficult or confusing to follow. There is love, trauma, grief, and exploration of sexuality and all of it is so tenderly handled. The vast representation of queer love is exquisite.
Since I listened to this via audibook, the narrator, Amaka Umeh’s soothing and weighty voice gave extra depth to the characters that were already so vivid on the page.
Such a pleasurable reading experience all around! This is one of those books that is difficult for any other book that comes after to compete against.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I may try picking this up again later but got bored with this story very quickly. I think this is one of those classics that is a little difficult to get through after you’ve encountered so many better modern stories that hold the same life wisdom that this one does.
I can see why it would’ve been revolutionary for its time but in the year of our lord and savior 2022, it just don’t slap like that. However, I still wanna be able to cross it off my “classics I’ve read” list so eventually I’ll force myself to get through it.
I can see why it would’ve been revolutionary for its time but in the year of our lord and savior 2022, it just don’t slap like that. However, I still wanna be able to cross it off my “classics I’ve read” list so eventually I’ll force myself to get through it.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75