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rockythefreak's reviews
17 reviews
Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
So fun! I devoured this book over a few hours. I wish I had more to say; you really just gotta pick it up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Rape
Moderate: Bullying, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Body shaming
rape/SA: A character demands that the MC pull her pants down to prove her gender, and then threatens to rape her. It is brief on 2 pages.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
I thought I would enjoy this book, since the titular essay was an interesting assignment in one of my college classes. Well, if you think racism, ableism, child abuse, and gay stereotyping is funny, you'll love the first three chapters of this audiobook.
When Sedaris' is the butt of the joke, it calls to mind unfunny teenagers that self-deprecate to garner a pity laugh. When others are the butt of a joke, he's punching down, like when he mocks Japanese children's accents and the clothes his guitar teacher wears since he's a little person.
One truly disgusting "joke" suggests (child sexual abuse)someone abusing him emotionally would enjoy mutilating children's genitals.
Run, don't walk, away from this garbage. I'm glad for what I got out of the one essay I enjoyed. This shit aged like milk.
When Sedaris' is the butt of the joke, it calls to mind unfunny teenagers that self-deprecate to garner a pity laugh. When others are the butt of a joke, he's punching down, like when he mocks Japanese children's accents and the clothes his guitar teacher wears since he's a little person.
One truly disgusting "joke" suggests (child sexual abuse)
Run, don't walk, away from this garbage. I'm glad for what I got out of the one essay I enjoyed. This shit aged like milk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Ableism, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Animal death, Homophobia, and Outing
Tiny But Mighty: Kitten Lady's Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines by Hannah Shaw
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
The book is long and detailed, but somehow, I kept wishing for MOREI details. While this book is framed as a guide, I don't think it's REALLY a book for novices. I think a moderate amount of knowledge on fostering and kitten welfare will help readers get more out of the book. If you've been a fan of Hannah's videos, but you feel overwhelmed by the lack of organization scrolling through YouTube, this book is perfect for you!
I wish there was more "why" given in the book. For example, explaining WHY it's a bad idea to use fragranced or clumping litter with young kittens. A lot of things were said AT the reader, assuming there was a base of knowledge, rather than truly explained TO the reader. The book was still enjoyable and informative, but it is somewhere between a textbook and a narrative, which may be difficult on any copy other than the digital text, where you can Ctrl+F for relevant information.
I wish there was more "why" given in the book. For example, explaining WHY it's a bad idea to use fragranced or clumping litter with young kittens. A lot of things were said AT the reader, assuming there was a base of knowledge, rather than truly explained TO the reader. The book was still enjoyable and informative, but it is somewhere between a textbook and a narrative, which may be difficult on any copy other than the digital text, where you can Ctrl+F for relevant information.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Racism
In regards to racism: One of the kitten's mats, towards the end of the book, are described as dreadlocks and those dreadlocks are equated to dirtiness. It is disappointing to read Hannah use this descriptor in such a way, when the term "matting" would be equally useful. If you need to skip this section, I recommend skipping the story about the Machu Pichu kitten rescue.
Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
A wonderful read for kids and their parents, particularly for families experiencing grief and change. As a white reader I cannot say this with certainty, but I think children of color will benefit from the contents in this book, especially black children.
While the book was cliche and predictable, I think that's okay. It's purpose isn't to be groundbreaking and new, it's purpose is to serve young readers. I know that if I had found this book as a young queer child discovering my identity and dealing with my first loss, the book would have been so important to little me.
The worldbuilding was fun and refreshing, but a bit black and white. The characters who were percieved as good ARE good, and the characters portrayed as evil ARE evil. I think that even though it's a book for children, it could benefit from more nuance. After all, children are nuanced themselves.
While the book was cliche and predictable, I think that's okay. It's purpose isn't to be groundbreaking and new, it's purpose is to serve young readers. I know that if I had found this book as a young queer child discovering my identity and dealing with my first loss, the book would have been so important to little me.
The worldbuilding was fun and refreshing, but a bit black and white. The characters who were percieved as good ARE good, and the characters portrayed as evil ARE evil. I think that even though it's a book for children, it could benefit from more nuance. After all, children are nuanced themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Bullying
In regards to parent death: The death of Artie's father is described to her by the villains of the story to taunt her, and used as a parallel to her situation when she is in danger. There are serious attempts to kill the main character, who is no older than 14.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was an enjoyable read. I am not sure if I'll come back to it again anytime soon— it was a quite stressful read. The sort of thing you can't look away from. Like when someone you love just keeps making all the wrong decisions, and you can't change their mind, so you stick by them the best you can.
That might sound like I disliked this book, but I really enjoyed that theming. You really get into the head of someone who seems to be making all the wrong choices, at least, in your eyes as the viewer. It served the narrative greatly to have this be part of the experience.
That might sound like I disliked this book, but I really enjoyed that theming. You really get into the head of someone who seems to be making all the wrong choices, at least, in your eyes as the viewer. It served the narrative greatly to have this be part of the experience.
Certain Requirements by Elinor Zimmerman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
the litany of typos and lack of human-ness to the characters felt like i was reading an amateur fanfic. at times, i felt like i was being talked down to by the narrator. the erotica was mediocre, and i didn't care about these inhuman characters, so i couldn't find a reason to stick with it.
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