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hellomei's reviews
89 reviews
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
5.0
not everyday you get to read something that feels not only real but familiar. i love that each of the three girls got their own very touching, relatable arcs. i come across stories like nao's – asian diaspora visiting asia – more often (though that doesn't make this telling of it any less poignant), but hyejung's and tina's stories being asian and studying abroad still in asia are so refreshing to read about. tina's love for her favorite musician and struggles at her part time job, hyejung discovering herself after moving away, their roots in singapore and korea... augh!!! also loved having their perspectives re: nao + masaki and how hyejung immediately thought the same as masaki did. the grew-up-in-asia perspective... we need more books about this!!!
i loved that it was written in japanese and korean and singlish alongside plain english. the way the author wrote the characters' accents did not seem patronizing because of how real all the characters felt.
this book came well-recommended but i didn't realize i'd feel so seen by it...!!! really wonderful.
i loved that it was written in japanese and korean and singlish alongside plain english. the way the author wrote the characters' accents did not seem patronizing because of how real all the characters felt.
this book came well-recommended but i didn't realize i'd feel so seen by it...!!! really wonderful.
The Art of DuckTales by Ken Plume
5.0
amazing artbook for an amazing show! i wish more artbooks had this much text in them (though i suppose that might reduce its merit as an artbook) because it was so cool to read about all the work and thought and love that went into this show, from an extensive preprod period to each and every episode. singlehandedly revived my interest in working in animation
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
i understand why beatrice horseman cried about this
Unicorns Aren't Horny Vol. 1 by Semi Ikuta
3.5
i genuinely love when artists write indulgent stories and wholeass them. cute style and fun little popcorn read. ikuta semi they could never make me hate you!
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
5.0
seriously so very good, and covered all the bases i wanted it to + more i didn't know i needed. recommended use for this book, i think, is as a jumping point for your own reflections, because the author does give you a lot to chew on. this is what i did and why i got a lot from this book. i particularly loved the author's reflection on the mother-artist!
Cold New Climate by Isobel Wohl
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
review tba
big beautiful female theory by Eloise Grills
2.0
sorry this is going to be mean but. kind of a disappointment considering how expensive it was... i can tell the author worked hard on it and it is quite big, but i guess i should know to stay away from this flavor of white/western artsy publications from now on. i leave feeling frustrated by the writer/artist, unable to understand the value in their messy thoughtdumps that read like you just went ham on the google doc & published the first draft. some people like that, think it's raw, but i like a bit more intention. make me see that you sat and chewed on your ideas a bit longer before putting it on paper, yanno? just not for me, but i can see how someone else would like it.
some good insights, and i like the parts that feel more rooted in something concrete (memories of her experiences, the elvis priscilla thing) but she never takes the interesting bits and expands on them. they’re just blips in a stream of consciousness i can’t appreciate. feels overwhelmingly white even when she references her openmindedness and politics. the white guilt is palpable.
i’m learning i don’t like this sort of self pitying tone, even when it comes from writers i think i'll relate to. especially if it’s with this specific kind of jokey, “ooh im not taking myself too seriously, i'm disguising it with smart quips” tone... it’s wild how bodies and bodily insecurity and body image are so so inherent to growing up as a girl but it’s hard to find stories about those feelings that aren’t. kind of whiny. and i have these hangups myself, attribute a lot of my insecurities to my body more than anything else, but somehow i still roll my eyes rather than nod in agreement at all this self pity. like “ok just kidding i’m cured. i don’t have any hangups anymore. i just don’t want to sound like this”
some good insights, and i like the parts that feel more rooted in something concrete (memories of her experiences, the elvis priscilla thing) but she never takes the interesting bits and expands on them. they’re just blips in a stream of consciousness i can’t appreciate. feels overwhelmingly white even when she references her openmindedness and politics. the white guilt is palpable.
i’m learning i don’t like this sort of self pitying tone, even when it comes from writers i think i'll relate to. especially if it’s with this specific kind of jokey, “ooh im not taking myself too seriously, i'm disguising it with smart quips” tone... it’s wild how bodies and bodily insecurity and body image are so so inherent to growing up as a girl but it’s hard to find stories about those feelings that aren’t. kind of whiny. and i have these hangups myself, attribute a lot of my insecurities to my body more than anything else, but somehow i still roll my eyes rather than nod in agreement at all this self pity. like “ok just kidding i’m cured. i don’t have any hangups anymore. i just don’t want to sound like this”