shoohoob's reviews
246 reviews

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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4.0

I’ve had this book on my TBR for so many years and I’m happy I finally read it. Such an important story to be told!

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Well, this certainly is a book that I read…. If this wasn’t a part of a reading challenge, I would have DNF’ed it. There was a lot to like and quite a lot to dislike about the book.

I loved the way the author wrote about the romantic attraction between Rachel and Miriam. It made me root for them despite knowing it wouldn’t work out in the end. The initial description of Rachel at Shabbat dinner with Miriam reflected some of my own experiences of being invited to dinners with my Orthodox friends. I also thought the way the author described Rachel’s eating disorder and hinted at one in Miriam’s sister was interesting to read.

That being said, there was quite a lot to dislike. Some of the sex scenes made me genuinely uncomfortable - I get that was the point but gah damn were they hard to read. I couldn’t tell what the author was going for with making Rachel horny literally ALL the time. ALL THE TIME. There were also so many unresolved points: sleeping with Jace? never seeing Miriam again? Rachel’s suddenly reconnected with her mother? What the hell is going on?? Also the whole discussion about the I/P conflict felt so out of place. It’s like the author wanted to assert where she stands but like?? no one asked?? This book is about a queer Jewish woman with an eating disorder, not the geopolitical conflict of the SWANA region.

In conclusion, glad I read this book so I could mark it off the TBR. I’m realizing I’m very much not into books with awful main characters.

Content Warnings

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

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medium-paced

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

3.75

James Baldwin has a way of writing characters and conversations that is beautiful to read. I wish I liked this book more just for the way he writes.

I’m not a religious person or had a religious upbringing, which is probably why I had a disconnect from the contents of the book. Even despite that, there were things I could relate to in each of the characters.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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fast-paced