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tanyamariereads's reviews
130 reviews
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory: Stories by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
5.0
I am beyond happy that I purchased this book! It did not disappoint at all and I loved every story in it; even the gut wrenching ones that spotlight the ugliness of love.
There were 18 stories in total. Some were just a few pages, while others were up to 30 pages long. I loved that Bob-Waksberg covered the full spectrum of the different types of love and didn't just focus on romantic. I would say romance was the main theme for most, but others focused on family, friendship, and even the love that a dog has for their owner.
I've seen mixed reviews for this book, and I could understand why some wouldn't rate this as highly as I did. The amount of sarcasm is at an all time high, but that is completely my cup of tea. Raphael reveals the bitterness along with the sweetness of love, and not every story has a happy ending. I think that's the best way to portray love: something that is just as horrendously terrifying as it is beautifully comforting.
My top stories from this book are:
1. The Average of All Possible Things
2. Rufus
3. Up-and-Comers
4. Move across the country
5. More of the You That You Already Are
There were 18 stories in total. Some were just a few pages, while others were up to 30 pages long. I loved that Bob-Waksberg covered the full spectrum of the different types of love and didn't just focus on romantic. I would say romance was the main theme for most, but others focused on family, friendship, and even the love that a dog has for their owner.
I've seen mixed reviews for this book, and I could understand why some wouldn't rate this as highly as I did. The amount of sarcasm is at an all time high, but that is completely my cup of tea. Raphael reveals the bitterness along with the sweetness of love, and not every story has a happy ending. I think that's the best way to portray love: something that is just as horrendously terrifying as it is beautifully comforting.
My top stories from this book are:
1. The Average of All Possible Things
2. Rufus
3. Up-and-Comers
4. Move across the country
5. More of the You That You Already Are
Marilou Is Everywhere by Sarah Elaine Smith
4.0
I couldn't put this book down! Sarah Elaine Smith wrote a troubling story in such beautiful poetic language that brought some discomfort, but had me completely engaged throughout. A story told from the point of view of the main fictional character - Cindy Stoat - about her family, how she struggled to find her own identity in a world that mostly ignored her presence, and how she scooped up the opportunity of living as someone else in order to be seen.
I struggled with seeing things from Cindy's point of view for much of the book. It was hard for me to relate to a character that lived her life without much of a fuss and how she coped with her broken home. I would grow frustrated with her actions and think to myself, "what on Earth are you doing?" However, having this story told from Cindy's point of view allows readers to see firsthand her growth of self-awareness. It also allows readers to sympathize with her even if her actions come across as bizarre.
Smith shows that there's room for growth and self-reflection for Cindy, which really won me over. Sarah Elaine Smith understands that life as a teenager can be and sometimes is entirely complex, and that came across wonderfully in her writing.
I struggled with seeing things from Cindy's point of view for much of the book. It was hard for me to relate to a character that lived her life without much of a fuss and how she coped with her broken home. I would grow frustrated with her actions and think to myself, "what on Earth are you doing?" However, having this story told from Cindy's point of view allows readers to see firsthand her growth of self-awareness. It also allows readers to sympathize with her even if her actions come across as bizarre.
Smith shows that there's room for growth and self-reflection for Cindy, which really won me over. Sarah Elaine Smith understands that life as a teenager can be and sometimes is entirely complex, and that came across wonderfully in her writing.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
3.0
I picked this up at a thrift store last year and was looking forward to reading it. I’ve heard of Jeffrey Eugenides and his stories, but this was my first time reading any of his work. Middlesex, which came out in 2002, won the Pulitzer Prize and was an Oprah’s Book Club pick. I thought that would amount to a fantastic novel to read, but there were things that I couldn’t overlook that left me disappointed.
The novel is told from the perspective of Cal Stephanides, an intersex man from a Greek-American family, and covers his life along with the two generations before him and how it led to his 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. The first 2/3 of the novel really focuses on the lives of his grandparents who came to the U.S. as refugees, to his parents in Detroit during the era of the Motor City and the race riots of 1967. I loved the historical accuracy Eugenides provided for the plot of the story for the lives of Cal’s grandparents and parents. When it came to finally talk about Cal’s life, I was underwhelmed.
Jeffrey Eugenides builds a lot of momentum for a majority of the book, so I was surprised how much of Cal’s life was crammed into a few chapters. I also did NOT like how one female character who was Cal’s “first love” was referred to as “The Object” for the entirety of the time she was spoken about in the book. Cal simply excuses this for wanting to protect her identity and claims he’s referencing a movie that reminds him of her, but she could have easily been given an alternate name. I was also confused when the story would be told from Cal’s first person perspective to an omniscient view of the novel’s minor characters. There are other story flaws I don’t want to speak about due to spoilers.
All in all, I think the plot of the novel was an interesting idea, but the ending and Eugenides poor development of the main character Cal was what made it just a little above “okay” for me.
The novel is told from the perspective of Cal Stephanides, an intersex man from a Greek-American family, and covers his life along with the two generations before him and how it led to his 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. The first 2/3 of the novel really focuses on the lives of his grandparents who came to the U.S. as refugees, to his parents in Detroit during the era of the Motor City and the race riots of 1967. I loved the historical accuracy Eugenides provided for the plot of the story for the lives of Cal’s grandparents and parents. When it came to finally talk about Cal’s life, I was underwhelmed.
Jeffrey Eugenides builds a lot of momentum for a majority of the book, so I was surprised how much of Cal’s life was crammed into a few chapters. I also did NOT like how one female character who was Cal’s “first love” was referred to as “The Object” for the entirety of the time she was spoken about in the book. Cal simply excuses this for wanting to protect her identity and claims he’s referencing a movie that reminds him of her, but she could have easily been given an alternate name. I was also confused when the story would be told from Cal’s first person perspective to an omniscient view of the novel’s minor characters. There are other story flaws I don’t want to speak about due to spoilers.
All in all, I think the plot of the novel was an interesting idea, but the ending and Eugenides poor development of the main character Cal was what made it just a little above “okay” for me.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
4.0
David Sedaris is no stranger to the world of writing, but this is the first time I'm reading any of his work. I remember seeing this book cover as a kid and believing the story line involved someone who needed speech therapy. I was semi-right. Me Talk Pretty One Day has personal essays by Sedaris and is split into two parts: the first with stories of his childhood up until his thirties, and the second focusing on his life in Paris with his partner Hugh. Since this was written in the year 2000, some of the writing that's supposed to pass off as a joke can be seen as insensitive. I would find myself cringing at times, but overall much of his humor had me laughing along with him while reading through this.
Sedaris finds humor in his self-deprecation and I find it wild that some readers believe that this book shows a boastful man who thinks he's better than everyone. This collection of essays shows some instances of this, but overall he's just as doubtful as the rest of us (case in point, read the essay titled, "Big Boy"). I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading another book of his before the end of this year.
Sedaris finds humor in his self-deprecation and I find it wild that some readers believe that this book shows a boastful man who thinks he's better than everyone. This collection of essays shows some instances of this, but overall he's just as doubtful as the rest of us (case in point, read the essay titled, "Big Boy"). I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading another book of his before the end of this year.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect while reading through this. There are so many mixed reviews of this book due to the controversy surrounding Junot Díaz in recent years. This book had been sitting on my shelf for a while and I was ultimately determined to form my own opinion of the story. I was glad I read through it. I wouldn't say it was a new favorite, but it certainly made me realize and remember the importance of reading other stories by Latinx authors.
The story starts off with a history of the Dominican Republic and its most infamous dictator, Trujillo. From there, the story of Trujillo and the story of the main character, Oscar, interweave into each other. It isn't a straight story line from past to present. It jumps from the past to the present, then back again, quite often and can be confusing at points, especially with the narrative changing from first person to a third person perspective in the first half of the book.
What won me over was the use of Spanglish in the narrative. I come from a biracial home where English was my native language and Spanglish was more commonly used than Spanish so it definitely resonated with me. I also loved the magic realism with the fukú curse that was set upon Oscar’s family, and the narrative shows how large of a role it played in their lives. The reader learns so much about Oscar's family history throughout the story and it's hard not to have high hopes for the family to escape the curse. As I got to the last few pages, I was sad to see it come to an end. Even though this book was long, the ending ties it all together. Not wanting to give spoilers, but the very end isn't an absolute resolution and is a bit of a cliffhanger. However, I think that's the best way to end an epic story of a family whose lineage lives on.
The story starts off with a history of the Dominican Republic and its most infamous dictator, Trujillo. From there, the story of Trujillo and the story of the main character, Oscar, interweave into each other. It isn't a straight story line from past to present. It jumps from the past to the present, then back again, quite often and can be confusing at points, especially with the narrative changing from first person to a third person perspective in the first half of the book.
What won me over was the use of Spanglish in the narrative. I come from a biracial home where English was my native language and Spanglish was more commonly used than Spanish so it definitely resonated with me. I also loved the magic realism with the fukú curse that was set upon Oscar’s family, and the narrative shows how large of a role it played in their lives. The reader learns so much about Oscar's family history throughout the story and it's hard not to have high hopes for the family to escape the curse. As I got to the last few pages, I was sad to see it come to an end. Even though this book was long, the ending ties it all together. Not wanting to give spoilers, but the very end isn't an absolute resolution and is a bit of a cliffhanger. However, I think that's the best way to end an epic story of a family whose lineage lives on.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
3.0
Unpopular opinion: this is one instance where judging a book by its cover was a bad idea. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin was my third read for this year and it was underwhelming to say the least. The story starts with four siblings making a trip to a psychic that's rumored to "accurately" predict the date of anyone's death. The rest of the book is broken into four parts, each part dedicated to one sibling and it focuses on their life and the impact of the psychic's prediction.
I did like the overall theme of free will vs. fate and magic/faith vs. science, but I feel like Chloe Benjamin didn't fully explore those themes throughout the novel. I found the main characters to be incredibly self indulgent which also made it hard for me to love this novel. She used too many stereotypes to define some of her characters and that left a bad taste in my mouth, and also made the story line far too predictable.
I had high expectations since the summary of the book seemed to hold so much promise, especially with magical realism, but it under delivered in the end.
I did like the overall theme of free will vs. fate and magic/faith vs. science, but I feel like Chloe Benjamin didn't fully explore those themes throughout the novel. I found the main characters to be incredibly self indulgent which also made it hard for me to love this novel. She used too many stereotypes to define some of her characters and that left a bad taste in my mouth, and also made the story line far too predictable.
I had high expectations since the summary of the book seemed to hold so much promise, especially with magical realism, but it under delivered in the end.
If They Come for Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar
5.0
I'm glad I decided to take my time to read through this and not rush through If They Come for Us.
I know this book has been reviewed plenty of times, so I'll keep it short: believe the hype. Fatimah Asghar uses poetry to share with the world historical events as well as personal ones. It interchanges on topics throughout the collection. I didn't know much about the India-Pakistan Partition prior to reading this. She dives deep into the history of it and provides powerful imagery through her words for readers to understand its haunting impact. Fatimah also writes about her personal hardships she experience growing up as an orphan in America. It's definitely a collection of poems that will stay with you long after reading. Whether you're a poetry love or not, I highly recommend this for everyone to read.
I know this book has been reviewed plenty of times, so I'll keep it short: believe the hype. Fatimah Asghar uses poetry to share with the world historical events as well as personal ones. It interchanges on topics throughout the collection. I didn't know much about the India-Pakistan Partition prior to reading this. She dives deep into the history of it and provides powerful imagery through her words for readers to understand its haunting impact. Fatimah also writes about her personal hardships she experience growing up as an orphan in America. It's definitely a collection of poems that will stay with you long after reading. Whether you're a poetry love or not, I highly recommend this for everyone to read.
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
4.0
“She felt red at the bone — like there was something inside of her undone and bleeding.”
I’m so glad this was my first read for October, 2019. Jacqueline Woodson does a fabulous job of writing the various narratives of two families and strings them altogether perfectly. This novel covers generational trauma, teenage pregnancy, mother-daughter relationships, and sexual identity.
This story is told from different perspectives of two families that were thrown together due to an early and unexpected pregnancy. It starts off with the narrative of Melody, the daughter of Iris and Aubrey, and takes turns from the points of view of Iris, Aubrey, and Iris’ parents. It’s clear from the beginning that some family ties are strained and Woodson lets each of her characters explain how it came to be that way. This storyline starts of in the early 2000’s and goes into the past, and then back and forth throughout the novel. Readers see truly fleshed out characters thanks to the various points of view.
As always, I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but when the story was coming to a close, I felt like the novel had taken a slow pace for the first 3/4 of the story and then everything was rushed at the end. Despite what felt like a hasty ending to me, Woodson handles her themes in this storyline wonderfully and made this short novel into an impactful read.
I’m so glad this was my first read for October, 2019. Jacqueline Woodson does a fabulous job of writing the various narratives of two families and strings them altogether perfectly. This novel covers generational trauma, teenage pregnancy, mother-daughter relationships, and sexual identity.
This story is told from different perspectives of two families that were thrown together due to an early and unexpected pregnancy. It starts off with the narrative of Melody, the daughter of Iris and Aubrey, and takes turns from the points of view of Iris, Aubrey, and Iris’ parents. It’s clear from the beginning that some family ties are strained and Woodson lets each of her characters explain how it came to be that way. This storyline starts of in the early 2000’s and goes into the past, and then back and forth throughout the novel. Readers see truly fleshed out characters thanks to the various points of view.
As always, I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but when the story was coming to a close, I felt like the novel had taken a slow pace for the first 3/4 of the story and then everything was rushed at the end. Despite what felt like a hasty ending to me, Woodson handles her themes in this storyline wonderfully and made this short novel into an impactful read.
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
4.0
I cannot believe this is Kassandra Montag’s first novel. I was engaged from start to finish. It’s been a while since I’ve read a dystopian novel and this will go amongst my top recommendations for the genre.
The story is set 100 years in the future when the Earth has been mostly flooded and the human race has to cling to the small amounts of land and resources left. Readers follow Myra and her daughter Pearl on their journey to reunite with Row, Myra’s other daughter who was taken by her father Jacob years ago. After an encounter with a raider, Myra is led to believe that Row is in the Valley, which is the remains of Greenland. Myra is determined to make her way from the Pacific coastline all the way north to reunite with her daughter.
I will admit that this is a bleak story. I’ve seen some reviews saying that was their main gripe with the novel, but I suppose I wasn’t too phased by it since it’s what I would expect out of a dystopian novel. Despite its bleakness, my favorite thing about this story was having a flawed mother as the main character. I’m not saying flawed in a judgmental way, I mean it in the best way possible. Motherhood is so complicated and complex and I think too often we find women that are either deemed perfect or horrible in that role in literature. Myra has many layers to her. She has self-doubt about being a good mother to Pearl, she’s relentless in her journey to reunite with Row, and she’s a natural leader during times of trouble. I’m excited to read any novels that Kassandra Montag publishes in the future.
The story is set 100 years in the future when the Earth has been mostly flooded and the human race has to cling to the small amounts of land and resources left. Readers follow Myra and her daughter Pearl on their journey to reunite with Row, Myra’s other daughter who was taken by her father Jacob years ago. After an encounter with a raider, Myra is led to believe that Row is in the Valley, which is the remains of Greenland. Myra is determined to make her way from the Pacific coastline all the way north to reunite with her daughter.
I will admit that this is a bleak story. I’ve seen some reviews saying that was their main gripe with the novel, but I suppose I wasn’t too phased by it since it’s what I would expect out of a dystopian novel. Despite its bleakness, my favorite thing about this story was having a flawed mother as the main character. I’m not saying flawed in a judgmental way, I mean it in the best way possible. Motherhood is so complicated and complex and I think too often we find women that are either deemed perfect or horrible in that role in literature. Myra has many layers to her. She has self-doubt about being a good mother to Pearl, she’s relentless in her journey to reunite with Row, and she’s a natural leader during times of trouble. I’m excited to read any novels that Kassandra Montag publishes in the future.