twistingsnake's reviews
288 reviews

My Androgynous Boyfriend, Vol. 01 by Tamekou

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

They are genuinely so cute. I love how supportive they are of each others ambitions and how much they genuinely enjoy each other as people. They also really do feel like they have a defined relationship with a history and familiarity behind it that you don’t usually see in romance manga! It’s fun reading about something established instead of developing for once. 

Definitely will be checking out the next volume of this! 

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Did not finish book.

I hate reading scripts, so. 

How to Seduce a Ghost by Hope McIntyre
Did not finish book.

The narrator was so cunty which I loved but it’s very dated in a way that just didn’t work with me. 

An Illustrated History of Ghosts by Adam Allsuch Boardman

funny informative fast-paced

3.5

I really enjoyed this! Information dense but very readable. I learned a few things that I was expecting and enjoyed the review of a subject I enjoy. The capitalist advertising art is surprisingly whimsical and pleasing to the eye. A fun quick read if you have some time to kill and want to learn some quick digest facts about ghosts. 

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

One of the most disturbing, upsetting, and shameless depictions of horror within the scope of misogyny. Horrifying in every sense, but beautiful too. It gets worse and worse and worse and then more, just when you think it can’t. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

This book was clearly written in 2014. I got about a chapter in before realizing that would be a tonal issue for me. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

Incredibly moving, deeply mythic. I listened to the audiobook of this and found the experience of being told this story vs. reading it to be the perfect way of ingesting it. Miller understands the cruelty of gods like no one else while also managing to tell such a human story. Absolutely stunning work. 

Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-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

4.0

Absolutely electrifying read. I've read a lot of queer fiction before, but rarely have I read anything that captures the complicated, monstrous quality of being a gender-non conforming person in a space that wishes you would be anything else. I felt very understood by this book. I think a lot of stories of this genre try to tackle the idea "you can be monstrous and still be loved" in a way that still, somehow highlights the importance of underlying goodness.  Edgmon's authors note in the beginning communicates something different: maybe you're the monster, and maybe someone loves that monster. 

I really loved this monster. 

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

adventurous informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This was a dense, informative text written as a very literal roadmap to how evangelicals got to the place where they are in the culture. While almost too dense for easy reading, by the time you get to the 70% and hit the Obama era and transition to Trump all the dominoes start to fall and it's hard to put down. 

This is kind of like a very slow horror movie where you’re slogging through the first hour and a half and the last twenty minutes are batshit balls to the wall insane except it’s our modern political system and there is yet to be an end in sight. Also, ever since reading this whenever I come in contact with fundamentalist culture I start to understand the why behind certain dogma around masculinity and the church. An immediately applicable read. 

Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing: Essays by Lauren Hough

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

4.5

Incredibly well told. I read this on many walks, car rides, lunch breaks,  appointments, and late mornings. It’s been my companion through it all and made me feel both less alone and challenged to jump headfirst into the crazy catastrophe of living.