kyliemaslen's reviews
100 reviews
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
4.0
this is a big, expansive and endearing novel that maybe does too much but is so warm and heartfelt that it’s hard to be mad about it.
Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby
2.0
i loved parts of this book — specifically gadsby’s reflections on her autism diagnosis in her thirties, and the writing process for nanette — but other parts were so bogged down in detail in the way many celebrity memoirs get too focussed on minutiae in their backstories. i don’t see people reading this who aren’t already fans.
Reasons Not to Worry: How to be stoic in chaotic times by Brigid Delaney
2.0
delaney does a solid job explaining the basics of stoicism in layman’s terms, but her contextualisation is as tone deaf as much of her journalism and detracts greatly from her thesis.
A Nation of Women by Luisa Capetillo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
this has been sitting waiting for me to pick it up again for so long, but i just can’t motivate myself to finish it.
The Autists: Women on the Spectrum by Clara Törnvall
3.0
it’s a little difficult to review this after reading a string of books about autism in people assigned female at birth, but there were certainly parts that i underlined and connected with, and i found the writing style easy to stay with. mostly i enjoyed seeing a scandinavian and european perspective on autism, in a field where north america seems to dominate. a reminder of the importance of translated non-fiction.
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns
3.0
i really loved the first 2/3rds of this book — with an amazing premise of a modern, feminist, socialist retelling of TAXI DRIVER in an unnamed american city, not long before the start of the pandemic — but the last third wavered for me in a way that left me ultimately a little disappointed. the audio, read by the author, is great however.
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
5.0
this book has changed my life, and that of countless others. i made notes in the margins, highlighted and reflected as i read. i spoke about it to anyone who’d listen. i’m so grateful a friend saw something in me and recommended it — i’ll continue to do so for others.
Drinking Games by Sarah Levy
3.0
an entertaining and carefully considered story of recovery, and of how deep addiction touches every aspect of our lives.