yellowbinge's reviews
233 reviews

Ditch Memory: New and Selected Poems by Todd Davis

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Publishing date: 01.08.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Michigan State University press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: The whole family is gathered outside for a birthday party, the chocolate cake for the birthday kid is half eaten, and now the adults are fighting over something that happened so long ago

The book left me: Wondering what kind of generational trauma my family has

Negatives:

Some poems felt a little repetitive or too similar to each other

Lost some focus the further into the book you went

Positives:

Strong nature vibes

Very raw, wild, and emotional

Features:

Themes of nature, aging, and dying, different formatted poems

Why did I choose this one?

I thought nature themed poems sounded like an absolute treat. I had heard about this author's work before and how "raw" everything he wrote was, so I had to get a taste.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

In-between. Some poems almost "dragged" a little. Eventually the book lost some focus, and my attention with it. Suddenly, a certain trigger popped up and soured my mood a little. But, I kept coming back and finished on a strong note.

What was the vibe and mood?

It has a very wild feeling to it. The emotions are raw and strong. I felt both unsafe and like fleeing, and then very serene and accepting of my nature. It smelled like rain and damp forest floors. But, also like alcohol and dust.

Final ranking and star rating?

B tier, 3 stars. I liked this collection a lot, but it dragged down a little with the repetitiveness and the length and "chunkiness" of some of the poems. I think I may not be the correct person to read a collection like this. A little too depressing and a little too "raw" for me. But I will recommend this to some other people I know.

Favorite poems:

Free Write

Vernal Pond

The Doctor asks my Friend to Follow the Light at the End of her Pen

Coffin Honey

In the Garden

Sitting Shiva

How our names turn into Light

Gnosis

Taxonomy

Crow counsels me in the ways of Love

Content Warnings

The Book of Purrs by Luís Coelho

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Publishing date: 22.10.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: Not a meal, just a cup of sweet tea

The book left me: Looking for my cats to give them pets

Negatives:

Felt a little self-helpy

Positives:

Would fit perfectly as a gift for a cat lover

Lots of cute art

Features:

Positive affirmations told by illustrated cats, O_O, OwO

Why did I choose this one?

I follow @purr.in.ink on instagram and felt a strong pull to grab this and see what it was all about (and maybe even some new panels I haven't seen before). There were new panels I haven't seen before, and this should be viewed as a "premium extension" or "expansion" of what you can find on their Instagram.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

Devourable. I blasted through every panel of these positive kitties in an hour, maybe less.

What was the vibe and mood?

Positive vibes all around. These cats want you to feel good and happy. It was also funny like the panels on Instagram. Cat humor all around.

Final ranking and star rating?

4 stars, A tier. I enjoyed what this book set out to do. It gave me lots of positivity with its art and affirmations. It was sweet and funny as I expected. Would recommend it to a cat lover or a fan of @purr.in.ink's instagram page. Perfect to keep by your bed or on a coffee table.

Favorite panels:

Panel 16 - I think ...

Panel 31 - Thinking about how much I love you ...

Panel 34 - I feel everything very deeply ...

Single Player: A Novel by Tara Tai

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

Total Suplex of the Heart by Joanne Starer

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Publishing date: 18.06.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Humanoids Inc for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: Coffee with a friend dishing out some drama

The book left me: Uncomfortable

Negatives:

Plot was a little messy and hard to follow

Very sudden time skip halfway through

No proper ending (but based on real life so not that big of a deal)

Felt a little rushed or like it was missing something

Issues were brought up and not dealt with properly

Positives:

Cool art

A bit of a different insight into wrestling dynamics and politics

Interesting premise

Features:

Unhealthy work dynamics, character with eating disorder and how that affects what they see, toxic relationships, abusive relationship, what goes into creating a wrestling persona, wrestling politics, child neglect and abuse

Why did I choose this one?

I thought this was a romance comic based on wrestling, and I did get that. However, it was more of an autobiography, or a hybrid between fiction and an autobiography.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

In-between. It is a very quick read and can be consumed in a single sitting, but I had a hard time getting invested. Issues were brought up, and either not resolved or not handled properly. The characters' relationships were as uncomfortable as the characters themselves. No one was really likeable. I think I would have devoured it if stuff was fleshed out a bit more. Everything felt a little too shallow.

What was the vibe and mood?

Uncomfortable. I could almost smell the locker room. The nasty men in the story gave me a flight or fight response all throughout. It was very much early 20's learning how to adult and relationship esque.

Final ranking and star rating?

D tier, 2 stars. This book had a lot of problems that I can't overlook. I get that it is based on real life, but then I feel like it needs to be more clearly marketed as such. Finding out on the last page that all of this was based on real events was a bit of a suckerpunch. I also feel like it would benefit from a longer storyline with more attention given to the issues raised in the book, even if that means adding some flair and extras that were not part of the real experiences.

I think I had some unrealistic expectations that isn't really the books fault. This was sadly a disappointment.

Content Warnings

Hanami by Julia Cejas

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informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

Publishing date: 06.08.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Humanoids Inc for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: I am shoving a slice of bread in my mouth while running to my bus stop

The book left me: Appreciating the simple trash collection system in my own country (don't worry, we are recycle things too)

Negatives:

Wish some of the "stories" lasted a little longer or that they didn't end so abruptly

Sometimes the text was a little hard to read

The art could be a little confusing or hard to process

Positives:

Pretty color scheme and cohesive art

Relatable situations

Features:

An insight into what it is like to live in Japan, a little bit of culture-shock and how to deal with it (not in a self-help way), relatable situations, not a one-lane story but more of a collection of stories, slice of life storytelling

Why did I choose this one?

My graphic novel era is back again from my teenage years, so I want to dive into as many genres as possible. This one is not marked as an autobiography but I would put that tag on it. The almost monochrome color scheme caught my eyes while browsing the books, so I was interested in the art too.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

Pick-up-able. The stories are short and quick to read, so this was a one-day read for me. I didn't swallow the book whole, but split it up into chunks for my day

What was the vibe and mood?

Although the seasons clearly changed throughout the book, I was in a spring mood the entire time. Probably because of the pinks in the art. I also felt like a student again, which was bittersweet.

This is a chill collection of stories that has lots of relatable situations a lot of people have found themselves in. Cue the awkward social ones ... I think this also gives a more realistic view of living in Japan as foreigners and not just the "dream" that so many people have.

Final ranking and star rating?

C tier, 3 stars. Nothing really wrong with it. I enjoyed myself reading it, but I didn't connect with the stories and situations as much as I would like. The art also confused me at times and the text could be a little hard to read, which stalled my reading. Some stories were not long enough (although I understand that isn't really possible if it is based off real life), or they ended a little abruptly. Just nitpicks really ...

I think this book is more aimed at poeple who have migrated to Japan or wish to do so in the future. I am neither of those. A miss for me, but a success for the target audience I believe

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Content Warnings

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

Between These Bones by Freya Sharp

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Publishing date: 09.07.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Harbor Lane Books, LLC for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: I am in the waiting room at the psychologist, nibbling on a protein bar in preparation

The book left me: Reflecting on my past

Negatives:

Wish the poems had titles

Positives:

Raw and emotional

A sadly relatable topic

An underlying story that develops naturally

Features:

Short, direct, and raw poems that don't shy away from darker themes, healing and moving on as a victim, lots of trigger warnings

Why did I choose this one?

I had a certain idea of what this collection would be about, and I was correct. Sadly, the theme here is very relatable and hits home for me. I thought that reading it would be another step on my journey to move on.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

Devourable. I read it all in a single sitting.

What was the vibe and mood?

This feels like listening to a friend confess about something traumatic in their life

Final ranking and star rating?

5 stars, S tier. This was exactly the kind of book I needed when I read it. I had recently been visited by a lot of old "ghosts" and had a hard time managing them. Reading this helped me process and put them back in the "grave" where they belong. Hopefully more people get to read this book and use it as a helping tool just like I did. Will buy a copy of this to keep on my coffee table.

Haiku: Classic Japanese Short Poems by Yosa Buson, Masaoka Shiki, Matsuo Bashō, Kobayashi Issa

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inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Publishing date: 14.08.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Amber Books Ltd for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: I am eating a little lunch outside, listening to nature

The book left me: Wanting to connect more with nature

Negatives:

Wish there were more haikus

Positives:

Beautiful formatting

Beautiful haikus

Features:

Haikus in their original language and in english, themes of nature and time passing by

Why did I choose this one?

I have recently played Ghost of Tsushima and discovered haikus. Really enjoyed the format and themes, and wanted a little more. This book became available at the perfect time, so I simply had to request it.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

Devourable. I consumed this in a single sitting. I could not stop myself. Completely entranced.

What was the vibe and mood?

Overall nature vibes. Switches effortlessly between summer and winter a lot. There are noises from nature, imagery, and the feeling of being outside. Very serene and peaceful.

Final ranking and star rating?

5 stars, S tier. This does exactly what it sets out to do. Show off some haikus from major haiku writers, touch upon the history of haikus, and wraps this up in a neat little book. I think this would be the perfect gift for a poetry and haiku lover in someone's life. I personally will buy a "trophy copy" later to keep on my coffee table.

A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

3.0

Publishing date: 09.07.2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Haymarket Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A buffet where I can eat any meal I want

The book left me: Questioning my gender once again

Negatives:

Formatting was a little hard to read and process

Positives:

Several connective themes (erotism, freedom, gender fluidity)

Features:

A nonbinary person exploring their gender, erotic and sexual themes, navigating gender in society and family situations

Why did I choose this one?

Poems for days for a poem loving woman. Also, nonbinary rep. Love to see it

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?

In between. The formatting didn't allow me to read for a prolonged time, but the poems made me want to continue. I prioritized preventing a headache, and read bit by bit instead of swallowing it whole. I think this would fit best as a physical book.

What was the vibe and mood?

A little uncertainty, a lot of curiosity, wanting to fit in, finding out you can make your own mold, exploring myself a little, and most important: feeling free.

Final ranking and star rating?

3 stars, C tier. Although I appreciated the themes going on and the stunning writing style, I could not connect with the work. I recognized some parts of the work in myself, but not enough to truly appreciate it. I think I could come back to it later after reading some more biographies to understand the work and the author. This book would fit those seeking to understand themselves and others in the LGBTQ+ community. I have some in my circle that would adore and find some use for this work.

Favorite poems:

Foreign bodies

Gawd forgive me

The skybridge in their divorce

More...

yellowbinge's reviews 233 reviews

yellowbinge's reviews
233 reviews