steamedcheese's reviews
14 reviews

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

I found the plot not very exciting and honestly kind of confusing. The plot was based around the fact that Daisy was stood up at her high school prom and therefore hates the guy, but what person would still care about that so far after it happened? Also the way that they like each other immediately and always have a connection when they kiss did not really resonate with me

A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Bryan Stevenson, Loretta Lynch, Sherrilyn Ifill

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

This book was interesting because of the format (like a written out podcast) and the content. However, it was not unique or special. The experts are having a conversation reflective of all political discourse in the US. The book also tended to lack concrete examples, which can be expected of a book with such a conversational style. However, the examples offered in the book are given little to no context. The assumption that the reader will understand these references makes this book inaccessible on a deeper level. 

The Trial by Franz Kafka

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I’m giving this book a 4 only because I really enjoyed thinking about it and the ideas it proposed. The writing was boring and hard to get through, but I think that kafka may have intended to cause the reader frustration. There was a lot of dialogue on sex, bureaucracy, subjective/objective. 

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.25

I really appreciated whitehead’s poetic prose, but the book was dragged on for longer than I think it needed to be. The beginning was a drag to get through, and it kept on referencing plot points which came only in the last 100 pages of the book. It was good but hard to consume. A very summery, lazy-beach read

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

challenging mysterious 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

5.0

ok but why did i actually enjoy this book a lot…? 🤭 It was challenging and definitely required lots of active thought. However, I really enjoyed the commentary on religion and human perceptions. The characters were super interesting and I would really like to read some analyses of them. To put it frankly: easy to consume yet interesting and valuable 

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed this book! I think it had a wonderful balance of personal anecdotes, hard evidence, and meaningful reflection which came together to produce a book which attacked the controversial topic of vaccinations in a very human and philosophical way. I would totally recommend this book to others. The chapters were short and easy to consume during a subway ride uptown, and the material really sticks with you. 

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.75

I vibed with this book, but I also didn't LOVE it. I read it because I had already read the chapter "No Name Woman" in school. I found that this was actually one of the most captivating and thoughtful chapters of the book. Like any collection of short stories, certain stories will resonate more with you as a reader, and certain stories will kind of drag on. I liked most of the chapters because of the small details and unique phrasing which Kingston includes. I remember one of the chapters ended with a note on how all of her siblings majored in STEM at college, and this seemingly out-of-place note made me think more deeply about the chapter and the meaning of this detail in the context of the chapter. 

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

adventurous funny reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

So this was a book recommended to me by Grandpa Dahoo like 4 years ago, but I FINALLY got around to reading it. I HONESTLY REALLY LIKED IT OMG. The book was really thoughtful and the premise was very creative. I liked how it opened discussions on religion, normalcy, power, and other really powerful themes. :) Like yes this was great to read and I WOULD RECOMMEND. 

Bone by Fae Myenne Ng

dark emotional mysterious reflective

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

4.0

This is one of the books that I purchased for $1 on a whim at Bookoff, so I didn't have the HIGHEST expectations for it. What struck me the most about this book is how it travels backwards in time from beginning to end. I think that this style adds a sense of mystery and intrigue. I also think that this book had a lot of really interesting images and memorable moments which stuck with me. It is the kind of book that I don't necessarily LOVE reading, but I would be happy to write an essay about. Last note -- the rhythm of the book is also very interesting. It reminds me of the kind of sharp and straight forward tones of Cantonese, and I honestly think that this detail (whether intentional or not) added to the realism of the book to me. 

Magnetic City: A Walking Companion to New York by Justin Davidson

informative slow-paced

2.0

ok ok ok like I LOVE dr. isaacson and I see what she did by trying to recommend a book that promotes experiential learning, but DAMN this book was not great. This dude is basically just basking in his own self indulgence and I kind of hated most of it. I did find some parts of the book pretty interesting, like the part about post-9/11 rehabilitation of FiDi/BPC and Sugar Hill, BX. HOWEVER, the thing that made the book interesting was the literal content not the way in which Davidson presented the content. I will admit that there are a few good aphorisms throughout the book about NYC (eg: "To live in New York is to watch yourself getting older" or "To hunt for an apartment is to decide which New York you belong in.") but they were pretty obvious and far and few between.