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zinelib's reviews
577 reviews
Too Soon by Betty Shamieh
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I'm eager to discuss this intergenerational tale of Palestinian and Palestinian-American women with someone. Get yourself access to an ARC, maybe on NetGalley like I did, and let me know what you think.
The three women are Zoya, who was a well-off mother of nine at the time of the Nakba. She eventually made it to Detroit with her kids to meet her husband who had already set up shop there with a liquor store. Naya is Zoya's second youngest, the darkest skin of the giant brood, and the last girl before the only boy, Ghassan. Naya is married off at a young age and raises her daughter Arabella (and Arabella's younger brothers) in California. Arabella is a thirty-five year old theater director in NYC with a stalled career. Her speciality is reinterpretations of Shakespeare plays. Despite recognizing the colonialism of Shakespeare's power over theater, she's not one to acknowledge her Palestinian/Arab identity.
The three women are rough--Zoya is violent, Naya is so competitive she ruins her most important friendship, and Arabella is selfish. I typically have a hard time with unlikeable narrators, but I guess these three are compelling enough that I stuck with it. As usual, the NetGalley Shelf app ate my bookmarks, so I don't have specific notes to help me talk about what I read.
I wonder if some of the complications with the three women are symptoms of generational trauma from the family's cruel and senseless displacement from their homeland. As an American citizen, Arabella is allowed to visit Palestine, but she's subject to interrogations, delays, and checkpoints. She dates a Palestinian-American man, who, though he's seen it all at Doctors Without Borders, loses it when two boys are shot in the legs by IDF soldiers to prevent them for becoming players in a Palestinian football league. It's the same senseless cruelty of the Nakba, rained on children.
Arabella speaks Arabic, but she's fair skinned and assimilated. She wants her successes to be about her, rather than about her Arabness, as if they're two different things. There's tragedy upon tragedy in and around the story, but still, it ends on a hopeful note, which is what is always and ever amazing about Palestinians in the struggle for freedom.
The three women are Zoya, who was a well-off mother of nine at the time of the Nakba. She eventually made it to Detroit with her kids to meet her husband who had already set up shop there with a liquor store. Naya is Zoya's second youngest, the darkest skin of the giant brood, and the last girl before the only boy, Ghassan. Naya is married off at a young age and raises her daughter Arabella (and Arabella's younger brothers) in California. Arabella is a thirty-five year old theater director in NYC with a stalled career. Her speciality is reinterpretations of Shakespeare plays. Despite recognizing the colonialism of Shakespeare's power over theater, she's not one to acknowledge her Palestinian/Arab identity.
The three women are rough--Zoya is violent, Naya is so competitive she ruins her most important friendship, and Arabella is selfish. I typically have a hard time with unlikeable narrators, but I guess these three are compelling enough that I stuck with it. As usual, the NetGalley Shelf app ate my bookmarks, so I don't have specific notes to help me talk about what I read.
I wonder if some of the complications with the three women are symptoms of generational trauma from the family's cruel and senseless displacement from their homeland. As an American citizen, Arabella is allowed to visit Palestine, but she's subject to interrogations, delays, and checkpoints. She dates a Palestinian-American man, who, though he's seen it all at Doctors Without Borders, loses it when two boys are shot in the legs by IDF soldiers to prevent them for becoming players in a Palestinian football league. It's the same senseless cruelty of the Nakba, rained on children.
Arabella speaks Arabic, but she's fair skinned and assimilated. She wants her successes to be about her, rather than about her Arabness, as if they're two different things. There's tragedy upon tragedy in and around the story, but still, it ends on a hopeful note, which is what is always and ever amazing about Palestinians in the struggle for freedom.
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
That came from Cassie's fellow recruit Sloane who also points out
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
The FBI has a secret program where they recruit high school students with "natural" spy abilities. Protagonist Cassie, whose (murdered) mom worked as a psychic, taught Cassie how to read people, so Cassie shows up on the FBI's radar as a profiler. Living with extended family she doesn't feel close to in Colorado, Cassie is a willing recruit. Even though one of her handlers told her they wouldn't be trying to solver her mom's death, Cassie is hoping to get a chance to do just that. Alas, a serial murderer (and a love triangle) get in the way.
Here's an observation that isn't at all surprising, but still made me go "grrr."
Here's an observation that isn't at all surprising, but still made me go "grrr."
"Sixteen percent of American men have blue eyes," she informed me blithely. "But over forty percent of male TV doctors do."
That came from Cassie's fellow recruit Sloane who also points out
"Roughly one percent of the population are considered to be psychopaths," Sloane announced. "Recent estimates suggest that over fourteen percent of reality television stars are."
She goes on
"I'm just saying that statistically, a psychopath is more likely to end up as a CEO than a serial killer."
Which Kardashians do you think are psychopaths???
I've got the next installment on hold. It's expected to be delivered in ten weeks. Aargh!
I've got the next installment on hold. It's expected to be delivered in ten weeks. Aargh!
Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
This is a fun follow up to How to Hang a Witch. Similar cast of characters, among whom is the town of Salem. This time, the focus is on the Titanic. It's witchy and ghosty, and there's drama with a boy, but mostly it's about friendship. Lovely!
Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
There are three storylines in this novel, that of Sophie and Hanna who live in Germany in the 1940s, Jenny and Lena in Berlin in 1980, and Chloe and Miles in Brooklyn in 2020. Of course, it turns out they're all connected. Chloe and Miles are the detectives, though that's tricky because it's early in the pandemic, before vaccines, so they rarely even left the house, let alone visit libraries, newspaper offices, or archives. I feel like just about anything I share will spoil the plot, and NetGalley shelf ate my bookmarks, so this is all you'll get! (But from what I recall, the way Nazis are described reminds me a lot of Zionist Israelis. I hope that was Bray's point, or just inevitable, rather than her trying to defend Zionism-because-the-holocaust.)
I found some of the Sophie and Hanna sections to be slow, but also inspiring because they were part of the resistance. Jenny is a sheltered girl of means who learns about squats, punk, and lesbianism. Miles, who despite being half Filipino and having two moms also has some learning to do about racial politics and standing up. He also needs to get out of his own way and tell the girl he likes that he likes her.
I found some of the Sophie and Hanna sections to be slow, but also inspiring because they were part of the resistance. Jenny is a sheltered girl of means who learns about squats, punk, and lesbianism. Miles, who despite being half Filipino and having two moms also has some learning to do about racial politics and standing up. He also needs to get out of his own way and tell the girl he likes that he likes her.
How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Set in Salem Mass and written by a descendant of Cotton Mather about a descendant of Cotton Mather, this YA mystery/thriller is full of witchy goodness (and badness). Samantha Mather has moved with her stepmother Vivan to Salem because her father has been in a coma for some time, and I guess they couldn't afford to stay in NYC? That part isn't wholly explained to my memory, but for Sam, it doesn't really matter. She didn't have friends in New York, and she isn't winning any popularity in Salem, either. The other kids descended from Puritan times snub her because her ancestor was a dick to their ancestors, who were probably all monsters of piety, if they look too closely.
Sam does find herself getting along with the boy next door, Jaxon, and has a friends-to-enemies thing with another dude. Despite being a story about people who believed strongly in good vs. evil, Hang a Witch believes in forgiveness. Lol, now I'm thinking about the witch trials as the ultimate cancel culture!
Sam does find herself getting along with the boy next door, Jaxon, and has a friends-to-enemies thing with another dude. Despite being a story about people who believed strongly in good vs. evil, Hang a Witch believes in forgiveness. Lol, now I'm thinking about the witch trials as the ultimate cancel culture!
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Technology = cool. Tech bros = not so much. Kara Swisher = cool.
Kara Swisher is a tech journalist who more or less started the beat. She wrote for the Washington Post, but in the early 1990s, they didn't really understand what was coming. Swisher did and somehow got the Wall Street Journal to let her cover Silicon Valley. She spills tea on all the douchey dudes, like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos. She also admits when she was wrong about stuff. I listened to the book, and she's a good narrator, too.
Kara Swisher is a tech journalist who more or less started the beat. She wrote for the Washington Post, but in the early 1990s, they didn't really understand what was coming. Swisher did and somehow got the Wall Street Journal to let her cover Silicon Valley. She spills tea on all the douchey dudes, like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos. She also admits when she was wrong about stuff. I listened to the book, and she's a good narrator, too.
How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess
informative
fast-paced
4.25
I'm so curious about asexuality, especially as someone experiencing menopause onset low libido/sex aversion. Burgess shares her story of coming to understand her sexuality, when it was something she didn't even find out about until college. It's a good primer, but I think I liked her novel on a similar theme better. You do you!
Shampoo Unicorn by Sawyer Lovett
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
5.0
Sometimes when you read a friend's book, you're thinking "I hope this doesn't suck," and reader, Shampoo Unicorn does. not. suck. It's a delight! The author, Sawyer, is your friendly neighborhood trans guy queer zinester with not the best coming up story. If you want to know the deets, read his zines. The lives of the kids at the center of SU go through some shitty times, but ultimately this is a happy book.
Brian runs a podcast called Shampoo Unicorn with his best friend, Riley. The name refers to a childhood ritual the two of them had with a third (former) best friend, Greg. Brian is the only out gay kid in their West Virginia town. Riley isn't queer, but she's biracial, so understands about being different. And she's just a good egg in general. The podcast isn't huge, but it reaches the ears it needs to, including those of Leslie, a trans girl from a similarly queer unfriendly town in Pennsylvania.
Following a podcast trope, SU comes to become a true crime story, as Brian, Riley, and some others try to solve a gay bashing crime (because obviously the police aren't doing shit).
The Bluefire Reader ate all of my bookmarks, so I can't tell you every little thing that I fucking adored in Sawyer's prose. Thanks anyway, NetGalley. Sorry your Shelf ebook reader kind of sucks sometimes, and so does Bluefire. Everyone, please acquire this book and share it with the teens in your life whether they're queer or not.
Brian runs a podcast called Shampoo Unicorn with his best friend, Riley. The name refers to a childhood ritual the two of them had with a third (former) best friend, Greg. Brian is the only out gay kid in their West Virginia town. Riley isn't queer, but she's biracial, so understands about being different. And she's just a good egg in general. The podcast isn't huge, but it reaches the ears it needs to, including those of Leslie, a trans girl from a similarly queer unfriendly town in Pennsylvania.
Following a podcast trope, SU comes to become a true crime story, as Brian, Riley, and some others try to solve a gay bashing crime (because obviously the police aren't doing shit).
The Bluefire Reader ate all of my bookmarks, so I can't tell you every little thing that I fucking adored in Sawyer's prose. Thanks anyway, NetGalley. Sorry your Shelf ebook reader kind of sucks sometimes, and so does Bluefire. Everyone, please acquire this book and share it with the teens in your life whether they're queer or not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Homophobia
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Sookie has been helpful to me while I'm stressed out and having a hard time getting into a book that's new-to-me, hard to get into, or challenging in any way. In this installment, all the boys want Sookie: Sam, Alcide, Eric, maybe Bill, and probably the new mystery Were, Quinn. She's just trying to live her life, though, and that's really hard for some reason. Everyone loves Sookie, but also there's no shortage of people who want to kill her. She's not alone, though. Someone is after shifters, and Sookie is trying to stop them.
California Golden by Melanie Benjamin
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
I really liked the story going in, but by about halfway through I felt like the Donnelly Girls--Carol, Mindy, and Ginger, were...maybe archetypical Bad Women in need of redemption--through being better mothers? The Donnellys are a surf family. Carol got into surfing after an unplanned pregnancy ruined her plans for playing professional baseball. Mindy got into surfing to try to keep her mother, and Ginger because Mindy kind of made her (for the keeping their mother reason).
Carol is a terrible mother because she really just wants to be in charge of her own body and life. Mindy is vapid because she wants to be "normal" and have a career as a performing, and Ginger is a punching bag, in love with a man who is indifferent to her--as her father was in love with Carol.
Carol is a terrible mother because she really just wants to be in charge of her own body and life. Mindy is vapid because she wants to be "normal" and have a career as a performing, and Ginger is a punching bag, in love with a man who is indifferent to her--as her father was in love with Carol.