tracithomas's reviews
963 reviews

Yr Dead by Sam Sax

dark funny sad fast-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

3.0

This is an experimental novel that is heavy on character and basically has no plot at all. I like the writing and some sentences bowled me over, but the fragmentary style left me feeling unmoored. It was hard to tell what was happening in certain sections. If you like books that play a lot with form and the idea of a novel, this would be good for you.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

I’m an Ina fan but found this book pretty boring. I couldn’t stop listening but can’t tell you why. It was a lot of her grocery lists and real estate choices. A lot. She’s super rich and had been extremely fortunate through her life and career. I learned a lot of details about her life but nothing actually major or unexpected about her as a woman. It felt surface. And yet I finished and didn’t hate it. Ina magic I guess. 

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

I was pretty underwhelmed with this book. It is not my kind of novel, it is a lot of musings and not a lot of plot. The way the character's musings are presented felt a lot like they could've been an essay but were thinly veiled as fiction. I loved KCV's nonfiction and feel her writing is stronger in that form and that this book was trying to do that in fiction that didn't land for me.

How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Johanna Hedva is a literary force. Their thinking and writing is exactly what I hope to read every single time I open any collection of cultural criticism. They are smart, funny, bold, surprising, and observe the world in ways that would never occur to me (they essay in this book on wrestling is the perfect example). I had so many “ah-ha” moments about ableism while reading this book, but more than that I had so many “ah-ha” moments about what care is and can be. This is a book about possibility. It is also a book about kink and cocks and art and hags. It is a text that I am so happy to have read and I know I will continue to reckon with it and Hedva’s words for a long time to come.

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a cute little short story comic collection. I loved the group text section best. It’s a totally loving book about Black wine and friendship. It does feel a bit choppy or like the stories are unfinished but overall it’s very sweet. 

Container Gardening For Beginners: A Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and Edible Flowers by Tammy Wylie

informative fast-paced

2.0

This was fine but was lacking in details it was very much a slim overview. I’m not sure there was enough to let a beginner feel confident to start growing. It’s fine and cute but minimal for sure (only features a few plants and details on soil etc). 

Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win by Jessica Valenti

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

This is a really great overview of what is going on with abortion and how to talk about it and combat anti-abortion talking points and policy. She explains how this happens and the language and attitudes that made abortion bans possible as well as the "why" behind it all. It is a short book, but it does feel a little redundant in parts. 

Mules of Love: Poems by Ellen Bass

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I love Ellen Bass poetry. Her poems are so good. They are plain and tender and easy to understand and yet they still deliver a total gut punch. 

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I read this book when it came out in 2019 and reread it for The Stacks Book Club now, and while it is still an amazing book, the gut punch of the first read is not relived or deepened the second time around. 

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

TNC is so incredibly talented. This book sings with his skill at crafting prose essays. The arguments are not as clear as I would have liked, but he’s grappling with so much it is extremely worthy of time and thought. It ends in an unexpected place which took me out of it but overall this is a big yes. It is bold and brave and provocative (but not for provocation’s sake). His thinking on Palestine is where I felt most connected to his own humanity and struggle. It is the centerpiece of the thing and maybe didn’t need the other essays, but they’re there and they’re good.