Surprisingly poignant moment in the book. [Blacked out potential spoilers 😉.] #tehanu #ursulakleguin

My first Le Guin book(s), and I liked them! The rhythm and pacing was different from most other fantasy books I‘ve read, but they were beautifully written and interesting. The only one I maybe liked the least was “Tehanu,” though with our modern discourse on women‘s emotional labor, “leaning in,” and work equality, there were some interesting parallels to draw, especially since these books were written several decades ago.

Loved it. Forencich perfectly encapsulated some thoughts I‘ve had for years now, about natural movement, ecology climate change, modern illnesses (emotional, spiritual, psychological, physical, and societal) and personal development that I just haven‘t been able to articulate on my own—it‘s like he was reading my mind. Really fascinating perspective and intelligent insights!

Extremely imaginative, well-paced, detailed, carefully-developed characters, and a great “magic system” (not quite what it was, but close enough). I really enjoyed this trilogy, even if the author‘s simplistic understanding and impressions of religion (and implied disdain of it) in general left me kind of rolling my eyes.

This was hard to rate, because overall I liked this book and it gave me a lot to think about, but I felt it got so tangled up in philosophy-speak near the end it was almost incomprehensible. However, he made fascinating points, and really highlighted the consumerist monster that has invaded our churches and everyday Western life. I‘ll probably read it again at a later date.

Absolutely loved it. Tull did an incredible job blending thoughtful, academic arguments with faith-based reasoning to create a compelling argument about why and how Christians should care about the environment. Her chapter on our broken relationship with animals was particularly convicting—I‘m still processing it.

Not bad, not amazing. The story definitely kept me interested, it was very suspenseful in parts, I was satisfied with the ending, and King is just a master storyteller, but still—overall a fairly forgettable book.

This book read like a bad fan fiction. Two-dimensional characters, super dramatic descriptions of things to compensate for an utter lack of suspense (or plot, for the first 3/4ths of the book), and it‘s like Collins didn‘t even know where she was headed with the book until more than halfway through, and then once she realized it, instead of revising the whole thing from the start to make it flow, she just veered off in another direction entirely.

(1/2) I don‘t know why this particular section hit me so hard, but it‘s beautifully said, and resonates with some feelings I‘ve been sorting through for many months now. Perhaps it reminds me of our culture of #selfactualization and #selflove, and the multitudes of people who privately confess they feel miserable and empty inside. (And I‘ve fallen into some of these traps, as well.) But fulfillment and happiness is best found in Christ.

(2/2)

This book was so excellent, but quite long, and sadly my library insisted I return it before I got to finish it, haha. That said, it was AMAZING to read the backstory of why we have the ideas about autism that we do: all the stigmas, the stereotypes, and even a possible explanation for why there are so many parents who believe they themselves can do something to help their child‘s “condition.” I hope I get a chance to finish it someday!

I appreciated the message of this book, even if it got a little nihilistic by the end. Certainly, as a younger woman than Ehrenreich, I still believe that what I do during these younger years will matter in my older age, but it‘s still a great reminder that the death rate for our species is still 100%—we WILL all die eventually, and this frantic scrabbling against that inevitability through “perfect, clean living” will still not save us.

This book is expertly written and explores a really fascinating idea, (what would it be like if we actually attempted to terraform and colonize Mars?) but I was just not in the mood. Got about halfway through and still wasn‘t feeling it, then realized it‘s a trilogy, and decided it‘s just not something I‘m interested in right now. Maybe later!

Wow, this was....strange. I‘ve never so immediately disconnected from and disliked an author‘s writing style and voice. I could barely get through 5 pages of it. Immediate bail, but I know it‘s famous, so maybe this is one of those I‘ll return to later in life and love it (?).

I barely remember reading this in high school, so returning to it in adulthood was much more interesting. The last few pages were so superbly written and tight with suspense, it played out like a movie in my mind, and the final scene was appropriately jarring. Really liked it!

Again, wanted to like it, and I did like it more than Bindi, but Phoenix‘s rationale behind her actions by the end of the book were unsettling. I did enjoy the vivid descriptions of places, the unique powers the other SpeciMen had, and some other creative details, but it was paced oddly at points, and I could not fully empathize with the heroine by the end.

There hit a point where I thought, “Shouldn‘t this be over?” I felt like the author stretched a subject that could have been written in way, way fewer pages (and with much bigger font—or are my eyes just getting old?) and still made all the same points and shared the same facts.

One good thing: I now REALLY want to try pawpaw! 😋

Imaginative and well-written. At the start, I couldn‘t tell if the author fully knew where she was going with her story, but after a few chapters in, she clearly hit her stride and the characters became more interesting and the plot more defined. This was the first fantasy I‘ve read based on Russian mythology, (thanks to @ceilidh_gibbons ‘s recommendation!) and likely won‘t be my last :).

OK, I wound up loving this trilogy. The third is probably my favorite, and once again, by the end of it, my mind had totally melted about the possibilities of space travel, potential other intelligent races that (statistically-speaking) could technically exist in just our solar system, etc etc. Thanks @NotDrWatson for recommending it :).

Uggghhh, I like it! But I was exasperated by it! Then I was stunned by it, and at the end I knew I had to keep going with it! This is the most vexing, interesting, mind-bendy series I‘ve picked up in a long time, and I just can‘t stop 😛. Also, if I was scared of us contacting aliens by the end of the first book, now I‘m downright terrified. Let‘s just all keep quiet on this little happy blue orb of ours, y‘all 🤫.

Whew, OK! This one alternated between having gasp-out-loud twists and fascinating insights into what it would really be like to make contact with aliens, with being heavily technical with the physics and a bit dry with its characters. However, by the end I was hooked and knew I had to read the second one, and I‘m now almost onto the third, so I think overall I liked it :). Definitely not a “beginner sci-fi” pick, though!

I liked it alright? Lots of beautiful scenery, intense and insightful (often harrowing) moments that depict hope, desperation, abuse, resilience, and ultimately love and strength. Would I recommend? Maybe. Would I read it again? No, personally, but I think others might like it better for other reasons.

I wanted so badly to like this book. Maybe it was a bad Bolaño book to start with, and the more I‘ve thought about it, the more I understand it, but I still found many of the actions of the characters to be so totally baffling to their somewhat established personas, that it was completely distracting and vexing. Anyway, I‘ll try another Bolaño book!

Despite being praised on the cover for never veering into dogma, you still kind of get those vibes. Not only that, but it's like Brende finds the most convoluted ways to describe simple things, like he's trying to pack in as many SAT words as he can. It comes across as heavy-handed and a little pompous. Had to bail :/.

Loved this book! It definitely hooked me in. The subtlety of its messages about class and race were profound, the characters were amazing, and the story itself was so creative.

Very good, and very thought-provoking. I still find myself thinking about what meanings I took from this book, and I finished it several days ago.

Stayed up way too late last night to finish this. So excellent! Very gritty and dark, but Gaiman did an amazing job capturing that classic, rugged Americana feel, and somehow expertly tied in a fascinating, highly imaginative, gripping story about old gods, and new ones, simmering hotly just below the surface of average, everyday life in America. You have to read it to really understand it, but suffice it to say, 10/10.

I wanted to like this, but over time all the characters became the same, and in certain parts it was like reading some teen boy's ridiculous sexual fantasies played out—I actually found myself laughing. "The Name of the Wind" set up this awesome story and world, and Rothfuss lost his way ☹️.

Oof. Powerful, heartbreaking, and beautifully told. I've read it at least twice. So excellent!

Under-appreciated fantasy book!

I'll say this: I enjoyed the book and understood Christopher McCandless MUCH better than after I watched the movie. I wasn't going to read it—privileged white college student romanticizes the wilderness, turns his heel on a "shallow" society for the "purity" of nature and "finding himself"? No thank you—but a friend's recommendation made me change my mind, and I'm glad I did.

This book caught me off-guard. I figured I'd like it, but I was surprised by just HOW much I liked it. Would totally recommend 🙂.

Picoult does a totally amazing job at depicting each character with nuance, empathy and realism. As someone who's just dipping her toe into understanding our country's inherent racism, this was a great way to ease myself in, and a good starting point for me. Highly recommended.

I felt like every character was essentially the same person, over and over, with varying degrees of sass, and about halfway through I considered abandoning it. But the twist at the end totally caught me off guard, so it sort of redeemed itself, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a friend.