ryliereadss's reviews
284 reviews

In the Lateness of the World: Poems by Carolyn Forché

hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

3.0

Lots of lists and lots of references to nature. It seemed to have a lot of historical references too.

The Stonewall Reader by The New York Public Library

challenging inspiring reflective

3.75

Super informative, real stories from people who were at Stonewall. I really enjoyed reading the interviews. The last essay was really great. The people bust some myths about Stonewall and shared some things I didn't expect. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking at queer history or wanting to know more about the Stonewall riots.

Abdul's Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

hopeful inspiring

Representation is so important! Your story matters! If you're writing isn't perfect that doesn't make you a failure! Such wonderful, important messages for kids!

The Smart Cookie by Jory John

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted

I love this book! It has a great message that different people have different strengths and we can't be good at or smart about everything all the time. We're all smart cookies!

Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano

5.0

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the premise of this book but I think my expectations were too high. I liked Daphne and could relate to her feelings about becoming a part of her ex’s life and not creating a life for the both of them. I liked that she was a librarian. I thought the scenes of her and Miles hanging out together in the beginning were cute. Loved Daphne’s character growth. I also liked learning about Julia and Daphne’s dad. But there were things that happened in the middle and towards the end that I just couldn’t get over. I also felt we didn’t know Miles as well as I would have liked.

Like they’re making out in his truck and then he’s like “Ah, my mommy issues”. Like??? There was no better time to bring that up??? And then he started talking about his sister!!! Why are you thinking about your sister after making out with this beautiful woman??? So weird. And then in their sex scene they took off their pants twice??? Literally wth. And then the Read-a-Thon was supposed to be a fundraiser and I’m like Okay Daphne people are having fun…but whats the fundraiser part?? Where are people giving you money for the library?? They were giving the kids snacks and prizes but nobody was paying for anything. Thats not how a fundraiser works babe.

Summer by Ali Smith

challenging hopeful informative slow-paced

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

3.5

I got more confused reading this one than I did the other ones, I think it was because of the gaps I took when reading this. I got confused by everyone’s relationship to each other. The characters were unique though and I liked reading from each of their perspectives. I also liked learning about history and history repeating itself and reflecting on the pandemic and the politics surrounding it.

Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

I didn’t connect with this book as much as his others. This one felt much more focused on the band than things happening around the band and their music. You can really tell how much he loves A Tribe Called Quest because of that. He did talk about rap music as a whole, police shootings, and the 2016 election towards the last few chapters which I enjoyed. I would recommend this to someone who likes the band or who likes rap music or music in general.

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This man made me care about basketball when I didn't care at all. It's not just about basketball though, its about community and the place we call home, poverty and racism and getting back on your feet. It's about small town celebrities and the athletes that didn't make it to the big leagues. Abdurraqib is an amazingly talented writer and I will read anything he writes.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Such a great read. I really liked the narration by Meryl Streep, sometimes I got confused which daughter was speaking but that was probably my fault. I think this story reflected a lot of conversations adult children might have been having with their parents during the pandemic, just getting to know their parents better. It also shows that we (kids) probably don't know everything about our parents. I really liked Lara, just a young girl trying to find her place. Duke seemed sweet at first and I liked his brother, who was sweeter. I really enjoyed the ending. Lara's daughters were very nice and I liked all their different personalities.

I thought Emily gave middle sister energy but maybe that's just my personal experience.

I'm so glad I picked this up.