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sleepyshelves's reviews
155 reviews
The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Very interesting. The author provides a thorough list of sources and additional list of reading at the end (sorted by general subject matter) which I really appreciated!
Her subject matter is treated with a lot of care and nuance, which is pretty refreshing, and there are some parts that hit very close to home for me. Made me want to reach out to a few people and ask about their experiences.
Because there were so many sources, I kept having to backtrack to remember who a person was when they were brought up several paragraphs (or even chapters) later. Some of the folks got multiple callbacks, where the author sort of reintroduced or refreshed the reader's memory of a certain person/study/reference. That was much appreciated on my part. But it was oddly enough for the parts I could recall fairly well.
I read this book in 2 sittings, but generally find nonfiction to be harder to read. I think the author's frequent use of superscript to streamline her research was particularly helpful for the way the text read. She rarely used "traditional" footnotes (I know there's a real term for this style, I'm just blanking on it), and the stylistic differentiation and formatting made the book easier for my nonfiction-averse reading to work better.
Overall, this was a really neat read. It's a general overview broken down into what kind of feel like more individual essays, and I think a different division of subject-matter would've made more sense to me (ex: following one or a few people's individual stories each chapter instead of talking about it in a pseudo-chronological format) would've made it something more my speed.
BUT! McCammon's a journalist, and this is an excellent piece and format for people who have that type of brain! I think it's a great book worth checking out. My rating simply reflects my own experience with reading. :)
Her subject matter is treated with a lot of care and nuance, which is pretty refreshing, and there are some parts that hit very close to home for me. Made me want to reach out to a few people and ask about their experiences.
Because there were so many sources, I kept having to backtrack to remember who a person was when they were brought up several paragraphs (or even chapters) later. Some of the folks got multiple callbacks, where the author sort of reintroduced or refreshed the reader's memory of a certain person/study/reference. That was much appreciated on my part. But it was oddly enough for the parts I could recall fairly well.
I read this book in 2 sittings, but generally find nonfiction to be harder to read. I think the author's frequent use of superscript to streamline her research was particularly helpful for the way the text read. She rarely used "traditional" footnotes (I know there's a real term for this style, I'm just blanking on it), and the stylistic differentiation and formatting made the book easier for my nonfiction-averse reading to work better.
Overall, this was a really neat read. It's a general overview broken down into what kind of feel like more individual essays, and I think a different division of subject-matter would've made more sense to me (ex: following one or a few people's individual stories each chapter instead of talking about it in a pseudo-chronological format) would've made it something more my speed.
BUT! McCammon's a journalist, and this is an excellent piece and format for people who have that type of brain! I think it's a great book worth checking out. My rating simply reflects my own experience with reading. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Transphobia, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
i fuckin LOVE yellowfang. cinderpaw is my baby. and i think something is afoot. idk what. but something!
Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life by Emma Steinkellner
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
holy MOLY i want to give this to my niece immediately. so stinkin cute. so beautifully done. the art is gorgeous, but the journal story telling medium is so cool. love me an epistolary novel. now an epistolary graphic novel?!
Hide by Kiersten White
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I went into this unbelievably excited. Like read-the-synopsis-turned-to-my-mom-and-cackled excited. About 60% of the way through I was feeling let down because it wasn't what I had anticipated it to be. Now that I've finished, I'm glad I pushed through that 60-75% mark.
I never thought when I was younger that my favorite part of the book would be the author's note or acknowledgements at the end, but Kiersten White's finak thoughts really made this whole book for me. There were so many choices that I couldn't quite understand, and reading her parting words, everything just...clicked.
This is a great book. It is a wonderful experience, and it draws so beautifully from its inspiration - though that's dark, bizarre, and even unexpectedly classical. I really feel as though the book suffered from its marketing and copy. The book design itself is gorgeous (shout out to books that tell you about the typeface used, you're the real ones!), BUT the jacket copy lends itself to a different narrative. One that sets readers up for a bit of a strange ride.
White's voice in this book is just so cinematic. I found myself reading passages aloud to my gf because they were just so cleverly rendered.
Ultimately, mixed feelings about it but generally very positive.
I never thought when I was younger that my favorite part of the book would be the author's note or acknowledgements at the end, but Kiersten White's finak thoughts really made this whole book for me. There were so many choices that I couldn't quite understand, and reading her parting words, everything just...clicked.
This is a great book. It is a wonderful experience, and it draws so beautifully from its inspiration - though that's dark, bizarre, and even unexpectedly classical. I really feel as though the book suffered from its marketing and copy. The book design itself is gorgeous (shout out to books that tell you about the typeface used, you're the real ones!), BUT the jacket copy lends itself to a different narrative. One that sets readers up for a bit of a strange ride.
White's voice in this book is just so cinematic. I found myself reading passages aloud to my gf because they were just so cleverly rendered.
Ultimately, mixed feelings about it but generally very positive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, and War
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
Here's the things about reading anything by Molly Knox Ostertag: I always know I'm going to open it at the right time. I know I'm going to love it and hold it and cherish it. I know I'm going to put it off and then I'm going to want to live in the pages and then it's going to end too soon. I know the world is going to feel so perfect and special for whoever I am when I do read it. And then I'm gonna be so pissed off I have to return it to the goddamn library.
I'll have a real review later. I have some processing to do.
I'll have a real review later. I have some processing to do.
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
5.0
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Body horror, Infertility, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol