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woolfinbooks's reviews
471 reviews
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
I have so many thoughts on this, yet no ability to archive them cohesively.
Melissa Broder is my favorite author of all time. I've been a fan since I read Meat Heart about a decade ago (how hipster of me) Witnessing her shift from poetry to prose has been quite the journey; one I'm gladly still embarking on.
Death Valley is an isolating novel about anticipatory grieving a parent and surviving shit. Compared to Milk Fed, her sapphic masterpiece, the romantic messiness is calmer, but the action (not that kind) is faster... yet slower? Each chapter is short, most landing under 5 pages. It makes for a read that feels fast-paced yet like the action is lacking. Until it's not. Is that medium paced? Maybe. Who knows.
The protagonist (unnamed) has an increasingly homebound husband and a father that has died multiple times in the hospital after a near-fatal accident (does it count as near-fatal if he's died already) She takes a trip into the desert and stumbles upon a cactus. A cactus one of the hotel workers claims doesn't, and can't, exist. When she goes back to visit the cactus, it's not there. She remembers the flesh, the moisture, the coolness, the visions inside of it. She continues her hike until realizes that she's lost. As the day passes time is ticking. Her water is running low. The sun is blistering. She needs to make it back. But every step leads her somewhere new. Somewhere she's not meant to be. Are her visions real? Is her father gone? Is her husband better? Can she survive? Can she grieve? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows. I know because I read it. You can know if you read it too.
What I loved - Melissa's writing is always a joy (and by 'joy' I mean it sends me into a helical storm of reflection, depression, and anxiety over someone knowing too much about me and I hate it and hate her and I love her and love her. Fuck her for doing that. But also thanks)
What I disliked - Nothing. Melissa Broder has never done anything wrong a day in her life. (something something I didn't connect to the father dying stuff because mine is dead and I hated him, but it's not her fault that she wrote a weirdly specific book about a situation relating to me soon after his death... fuck her for doing that. But also thanks)
Did reality meet expectations - Nope. I went into it expecting an absolute shit show of a relationship. I thought she would cheat on her husband with one of the side characters. I thought their fight would be bigger. I thought the mommy issues would exist (rip Melissa's mommy issues era, hello Jethra fanfic) I thought the father/daughter dynamic would be more toxic and cruel (what does that say about me) Instead we get a shit show of a person. Which is great. I love inserting myself into shit show characters. I loved that it didn't go the way I expected. I loved how I was wrong about everything. That's what makes Melisa bae.
5/5 stars because it's my favorite, just like everything she does is my favorite. I can't help that my fav only writes iconically.
Melissa Broder is my favorite author of all time. I've been a fan since I read Meat Heart about a decade ago (how hipster of me) Witnessing her shift from poetry to prose has been quite the journey; one I'm gladly still embarking on.
Death Valley is an isolating novel about anticipatory grieving a parent and surviving shit. Compared to Milk Fed, her sapphic masterpiece, the romantic messiness is calmer, but the action (not that kind) is faster... yet slower? Each chapter is short, most landing under 5 pages. It makes for a read that feels fast-paced yet like the action is lacking. Until it's not. Is that medium paced? Maybe. Who knows.
The protagonist (unnamed) has an increasingly homebound husband and a father that has died multiple times in the hospital after a near-fatal accident (does it count as near-fatal if he's died already) She takes a trip into the desert and stumbles upon a cactus. A cactus one of the hotel workers claims doesn't, and can't, exist. When she goes back to visit the cactus, it's not there. She remembers the flesh, the moisture, the coolness, the visions inside of it. She continues her hike until realizes that she's lost. As the day passes time is ticking. Her water is running low. The sun is blistering. She needs to make it back. But every step leads her somewhere new. Somewhere she's not meant to be. Are her visions real? Is her father gone? Is her husband better? Can she survive? Can she grieve? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows. I know because I read it. You can know if you read it too.
What I loved - Melissa's writing is always a joy (and by 'joy' I mean it sends me into a helical storm of reflection, depression, and anxiety over someone knowing too much about me and I hate it and hate her and I love her and love her. Fuck her for doing that. But also thanks)
What I disliked - Nothing. Melissa Broder has never done anything wrong a day in her life. (something something I didn't connect to the father dying stuff because mine is dead and I hated him, but it's not her fault that she wrote a weirdly specific book about a situation relating to me soon after his death... fuck her for doing that. But also thanks)
Did reality meet expectations - Nope. I went into it expecting an absolute shit show of a relationship. I thought she would cheat on her husband with one of the side characters. I thought their fight would be bigger. I thought the mommy issues would exist (rip Melissa's mommy issues era, hello Jethra fanfic) I thought the father/daughter dynamic would be more toxic and cruel (what does that say about me) Instead we get a shit show of a person. Which is great. I love inserting myself into shit show characters. I loved that it didn't go the way I expected. I loved how I was wrong about everything. That's what makes Melisa bae.
5/5 stars because it's my favorite, just like everything she does is my favorite. I can't help that my fav only writes iconically.
Mall Goth by Kate Leth
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Pedophilia, and Toxic friendship
There is a teacher that attempts to groom a teenager. It doesn't get physical, but does impact the teenager emotionally.
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
Don’t trust anyone calling this extreme horror. It’s about people who work in an office where they watch videos posted online and determine if they need to be taken down or not. Racism, Nazism, Homophobia, death, murder, assault, suicide, etc. can still be allowed depending on the context. You get some insight into the rules and some stories about what happens in the videos, but most are briefly discussed with light to mild descriptions. The premise sounds interesting, but the whole book is shit.
The last 35 minutes (audiobook) has barely challenged antisemitism, Holocaust denial, racism, and homophobia. Sigrid acted as if she was being emotionally abused because Kayleigh said Holocaust denial is stupid. I guess I get what the author was trying to do by showing how online desensitization has changed them in the real world, but it was handled poorly and written fucking terribly. I'm not sure if the author or translator are to blame for that.
Sex addiction and its links to trauma were mentioned but never discussed. Coercion was mentioned but never discussed. It's like the author was stating what point they wanted to make and thinking that was enough. "Ahh isn't it bad she masturbated right next to her wife after she was denied sex?" Yes... but why isn't the character looking further into that? Why is it brushed aside like a fun little tidbit about their relationship?
Kayleigh was so use to Nazism that she was willing and begging Sigrid to get back together. That… was a choice the author made. The whole book built up to this big epic moment that never happened. Finding out that Sigrid was only pretending to be a Holocaust denier so Kayleigh would break up with her… that was meant to be the big twist? This book could have easily been another 200 pages and still not have had enough time to turn all of its crumbs into a meal.
And, of course, the white author trying to be edgy and controversial used racial slurs... How revolutionary.
I think whatever insufferable character said it best as far as I’m concerned it wasn’t that too much happened, if anything too little
Content / Trigger Warnings
animal cruelty
antisemitism
assault
coercion
homophobia
misogyny
nazism
racial slurs
racism
sex
suicide
The last 35 minutes (audiobook) has barely challenged antisemitism, Holocaust denial, racism, and homophobia. Sigrid acted as if she was being emotionally abused because Kayleigh said Holocaust denial is stupid. I guess I get what the author was trying to do by showing how online desensitization has changed them in the real world, but it was handled poorly and written fucking terribly. I'm not sure if the author or translator are to blame for that.
Sex addiction and its links to trauma were mentioned but never discussed. Coercion was mentioned but never discussed. It's like the author was stating what point they wanted to make and thinking that was enough. "Ahh isn't it bad she masturbated right next to her wife after she was denied sex?" Yes... but why isn't the character looking further into that? Why is it brushed aside like a fun little tidbit about their relationship?
Kayleigh was so use to Nazism that she was willing and begging Sigrid to get back together. That… was a choice the author made. The whole book built up to this big epic moment that never happened. Finding out that Sigrid was only pretending to be a Holocaust denier so Kayleigh would break up with her… that was meant to be the big twist? This book could have easily been another 200 pages and still not have had enough time to turn all of its crumbs into a meal.
And, of course, the white author trying to be edgy and controversial used racial slurs... How revolutionary.
I think whatever insufferable character said it best as far as I’m concerned it wasn’t that too much happened, if anything too little
Content / Trigger Warnings
animal cruelty
antisemitism
assault
coercion
homophobia
misogyny
nazism
racial slurs
racism
sex
suicide
Discovering Andorra: A Comprehensive Travel Guide by William Jones
informative
I had no reason other to read this other than trying to complete the 'read around the world' challenge. This was the only accessible book on Andorra I could find. While I don't have a need for a travel guide, I did find it interesting to read about the culture, mountains, and art history. If you do ever plan on visiting, this is a perfect short read for you!
After the Rain by Nnedi Okorafor
2.0
I haven't read the short story this is based on, but it didn't translate well into a graphic novel. The art and text didn't match; like the text would say a lizard was a certain color but the art of the lizard was completely different. The story wasn't balanced. Some parts were way too wordy while others weren't wordy enough. It read like they inserted lines directly from the short story, but I'm not sure if they did or not? If they did, I think it would've worked a lot better if they allowed the dialogue and art to show rather than tell. While the art style wasn't my cup of tea I do think it fits the story incredibly well.
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Slavery, and Xenophobia
Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
This was incredibly difficult to get through as the font and lettering were unreadable. I genuinely can't comprehend how anyone was able to read it. The distortion of the text hurt my eyes to the point I felt nauseous and made it extremely difficult to follow what line I was on. I hope one day there's an edition that's more accessible as this is probably the least dyslexic friendly thing I've ever read in my entire life. With how inclusive it seems to be, I don't understand how neurodiversity wasn't factored into the font and lettering.
I don't feel comfortable giving it a rating as I wasn't able to 100% finish it and don't think my personal issues with reading it should really factor into it. From what I did read it was the exact type of graphic novel I would've loved.
I don't feel comfortable giving it a rating as I wasn't able to 100% finish it and don't think my personal issues with reading it should really factor into it. From what I did read it was the exact type of graphic novel I would've loved.
Frog and Toad Audio Collection by Arnold Lobel
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this for Jesse On YouTube's TBR cards challenge. Prompt: SPEAK - featuring a talking animal.
This was such a nostalgic trip back to some of the first book characters I ever loved. Their stories aree timeless, and Toad has become more relatable with age.
This was such a nostalgic trip back to some of the first book characters I ever loved. Their stories aree timeless, and Toad has become more relatable with age.