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knachknachjoke's reviews
123 reviews
No Sugar Coating: The Coffee Talk You Need About Foster Parenting by Jillana Goble
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
A beautiful "open letter" to prospective foster families, and a helpful introduction into the world of fostering for anyone working with or around the system & families who support it.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
A haunting, thorough exploration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, its history, and the dark implications of what actually investigating that history leads one to believe.
I would have considered myself somewhat knowledgeable on LDS church history before this read, but Krakhauer blew pretty much everything out of the water with how thorough his storytelling was. He discloses at the end his own perspective—that he hadn't intended for this to be anything other than an amicable exploration of Mormon history inspired by an admiration for his childhood friends' faiths—and the resonance I felt to his perspective was really startling.
I think my biggest takeaway from reading this, and I believe Krakhauer's from writing it, is just how frightening the two roads you can take after studying Mormonism's history are: either you discern it is one man's quest for sex and power, or you conclude that everything—polygamy, blood atonement, white supremacy, child abuse—is all true and all imperative to a right way of life.
I would have considered myself somewhat knowledgeable on LDS church history before this read, but Krakhauer blew pretty much everything out of the water with how thorough his storytelling was. He discloses at the end his own perspective—that he hadn't intended for this to be anything other than an amicable exploration of Mormon history inspired by an admiration for his childhood friends' faiths—and the resonance I felt to his perspective was really startling.
I think my biggest takeaway from reading this, and I believe Krakhauer's from writing it, is just how frightening the two roads you can take after studying Mormonism's history are: either you discern it is one man's quest for sex and power, or you conclude that everything—polygamy, blood atonement, white supremacy, child abuse—is all true and all imperative to a right way of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
The Martian by Andy Weir
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Possibly one of my favorite stories, ever. Despite having seen the movie many times previously, I still gasped and cheered and cried my way through this book. It's tense, it's funny, it's technical—it's everything my childhood self would have wanted out of a survival book after finishing Hatchet, My Side of the Mountain, and Ender's Game.
I will absolutely be revisiting this story again and again.
I will absolutely be revisiting this story again and again.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Important and haunting. Very matter-of-fact, thorough, and still somehow made me cry in my car listening to the raw facts of the injustices it recounts be read out. It made me angry, I hope in a good way.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maybe it's a me issue, but I absolutely loved being in the head of a psychopath.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to enjoy a book with the dedication written to Cassandra Clare, but this was exciting, fast-paced, and genuinely a delight. I cannot wait to read the next two books in the series—if they're even half as tense as this one, they'll be absolute page-turners.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Really excellent, honest coverage of the myriad of issues new moms face with their newborns, infants, and toddlers - when the data points somewhere, Oster goes there, and when there's not enough evidence to say, she doesn't extrapolate beyond what's there. I feel SO much better equipped to stay out of the "mommy wars" whenever I have children (probably not for a while, haha) & to be able to look at actual data instead of just online anecdote when it comes to making decisions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
The book covers topics like cosleeping in the context of preventing SIDS, which means SIDS is spoken about moderately often towards the beginning. There are no graphic stories, but basic facts about what causes SIDS and certain risk factors are covered, including mentions of how SIDS can happen (such as falling asleep on your baby, or a pillow or blanket smothering them.)