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itscatcheng's reviews
72 reviews
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
4.0
Love Brené Brown and was super excited to read this after a friend raved about it. Thorough, well-written book with some great parts I took notes on. It maybe went on a little longer than I would’ve wanted but still good.
Parts I loved:
• chapter on empathy
• schadenfreude vs. freudenfreude
• section on “calm”
• idea of near and far enemies
• being story stewards
Parts I loved:
• chapter on empathy
• schadenfreude vs. freudenfreude
• section on “calm”
• idea of near and far enemies
• being story stewards
Spare by Prince Harry
5.0
Wow I had no idea I would like this book so much. It was so well-written and engaging that when I told my husband about it, he brought up that it might have been written by a ghost writer haha.
The one throughline that runs from beginning to end is how deeply Diana’s death affected Harry, and the way he talks about the different stages of grief he goes through is so heartbreaking.
I definitely have issues with like…. the monarchy and colonization and everything lol. But he’s a good storyteller
The one throughline that runs from beginning to end is how deeply Diana’s death affected Harry, and the way he talks about the different stages of grief he goes through is so heartbreaking.
I definitely have issues with like…. the monarchy and colonization and everything lol. But he’s a good storyteller
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
5.0
I loooooooooooove this book.
This is one of the longest books I’ve read (listened to) in a while, but it was SO worth it.
It reminds me of Girls in the way that the story mainly centers a young woman struggling in life and love in NYC, but takes a lot of worthwhile detours as side characters are introduced throughout the book.
As an Asian American Christian woman, one thing I really enjoyed about this book is the way the different characters interact with their faith. For example, Casey isn’t someone who goes to church consistently and makes a lot of questionable decisions but her faith is an earnest one and the gist is that she’s trying her best—whereas her mom is a faithful servant at church but much of her relationship with God and the people around her is affected by Korean Christian culture, so shame plays a big role in her life.
Any time I wasn’t listening to this book, I found myself wanting so badly to return to the world of “Millionaires.”
This is one of the longest books I’ve read (listened to) in a while, but it was SO worth it.
It reminds me of Girls in the way that the story mainly centers a young woman struggling in life and love in NYC, but takes a lot of worthwhile detours as side characters are introduced throughout the book.
As an Asian American Christian woman, one thing I really enjoyed about this book is the way the different characters interact with their faith. For example, Casey isn’t someone who goes to church consistently and makes a lot of questionable decisions but her faith is an earnest one and the gist is that she’s trying her best—whereas her mom is a faithful servant at church but much of her relationship with God and the people around her is affected by Korean Christian culture, so shame plays a big role in her life.
Any time I wasn’t listening to this book, I found myself wanting so badly to return to the world of “Millionaires.”
I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working by Shauna Niequist
4.0
I enjoyed this book! Not quite a self-help book, but more just a collection of stories and lessons learned by Niequist in the past few years, especially from her move to New York. I was curious (because I'm nosy) about how she's been dealing with the fallout from her dad's, um.. shortcomings. And I think she has done a great job of being real and fair and vulnerable and gracious. I appreciate her for writing this book.
To be brutally honest, I probably prefer "Present Over Perfect" over this book because by the last third of the book, it gets a little rambly, and I like a good balance between action steps and stories. This isn't really too much of a criticism—I tend to write in a similar fashion in that I include a lot of run-on lists of things I find beautiful or things I need to work on when I journal or share an Instagram post. But I think perhaps people should temper their expectations if they're anticipating practical tips or life hacks, when it's really more like a series of anecdotes and what Niequist has gained from these anecdotes. In other words, you shouldn't expect it to be another "Atomic Habits" or "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" even though some might categorize this as a self-help book.
To be brutally honest, I probably prefer "Present Over Perfect" over this book because by the last third of the book, it gets a little rambly, and I like a good balance between action steps and stories. This isn't really too much of a criticism—I tend to write in a similar fashion in that I include a lot of run-on lists of things I find beautiful or things I need to work on when I journal or share an Instagram post. But I think perhaps people should temper their expectations if they're anticipating practical tips or life hacks, when it's really more like a series of anecdotes and what Niequist has gained from these anecdotes. In other words, you shouldn't expect it to be another "Atomic Habits" or "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" even though some might categorize this as a self-help book.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
5.0
phewwwwwwww this was a doozy
I didn't find out till after I finished the book that Leila Mottley was 17 when she wrote it LOL motivation for me to get off my butt and do things with my life
This was a HARD one to get through because of how intense some of the scenes were, and I feel mixed about the ending, but it was so beautifully written and I feel grateful to have spent time with Kiara, Trevor, and the rest of the characters.
I didn't find out till after I finished the book that Leila Mottley was 17 when she wrote it LOL motivation for me to get off my butt and do things with my life
This was a HARD one to get through because of how intense some of the scenes were, and I feel mixed about the ending, but it was so beautifully written and I feel grateful to have spent time with Kiara, Trevor, and the rest of the characters.
The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard
3.0
Such a beautiful read, and I felt like I could really imagine all the scenes in this book. Might not be for everyone because some of the more sexual scenes are a little
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
4.0
ughhhhhhh. stunning but also gut-wrenching and at times, so hard to get through that I needed a break. but all worth it to get to the end.
The scene in the shed was by far the hardest thing to read in this memoir, and what makes it worse is finding out that Ford’s father is incarcerated for perpetuating THE SAME CRIME. God. I so badly wanted to scream and go back in time to hug young Ashley in her darkest moments, to shield her from everything.
Every moment of this book was engaging and compelling, and I thought it was paced really well. The resolution of the book didn’t feel like it came too quickly or was unearned. I’m really blown away by Ford’s first book, I’m eager to read more of her work, and I’m so in awe of her strength and courage.
The scene in the shed was by far the hardest thing to read in this memoir, and what makes it worse is finding out that Ford’s father is incarcerated for perpetuating THE SAME CRIME. God. I so badly wanted to scream and go back in time to hug young Ashley in her darkest moments, to shield her from everything.
Every moment of this book was engaging and compelling, and I thought it was paced really well. The resolution of the book didn’t feel like it came too quickly or was unearned. I’m really blown away by Ford’s first book, I’m eager to read more of her work, and I’m so in awe of her strength and courage.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
3.0
Fun book! I’ve been reading a lot of heavy, intense things lately so this was a welcome reprieve.
For me, this kind of read like a Netflix movie? It was enjoyable and I wanted to see what would happen next, but I did find myself skimming a bit in the last 1/3 to just get to the resolution. There wasn’t enough substance in the relationships Harriet shared with Cleo and Sabrina for me to care much about their conversations, unraveling, and resolution (even though we’re meant to believe that they’re incredibly important relationships in Harriet’s life). The “this is our last summer before the house is gone” thing couldn’t help but remind me of The Summer I Turned Pretty book/season 2 lol.
I did and didn’t get why Harriet and Wyn ended in the first place. I do believe that relationships can end over time, and that there can be a number of contributing factors that build on each other and result in a breakup. But it irked me that Harriet and Wyn were SO bad at communicating their fears and the issues they had with each other that it resulted in a breakup. I guess they both had to figure their own stuff out??
I don’t know if I’ll be reading another Emily Henry book—maybe I will when I need a break from serious stuff again haha.
For me, this kind of read like a Netflix movie? It was enjoyable and I wanted to see what would happen next, but I did find myself skimming a bit in the last 1/3 to just get to the resolution. There wasn’t enough substance in the relationships Harriet shared with Cleo and Sabrina for me to care much about their conversations, unraveling, and resolution (even though we’re meant to believe that they’re incredibly important relationships in Harriet’s life). The “this is our last summer before the house is gone” thing couldn’t help but remind me of The Summer I Turned Pretty book/season 2 lol.
I did and didn’t get why Harriet and Wyn ended in the first place. I do believe that relationships can end over time, and that there can be a number of contributing factors that build on each other and result in a breakup. But it irked me that Harriet and Wyn were SO bad at communicating their fears and the issues they had with each other that it resulted in a breakup. I guess they both had to figure their own stuff out??
I don’t know if I’ll be reading another Emily Henry book—maybe I will when I need a break from serious stuff again haha.