marisa_n's reviews
166 reviews
Brand New Ancients, by Kae Tempest
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
I have never read anything quite like this before. I'm glad I experienced it as an audiobook, as it felt like I was listening to a spoken word performance or a play. The writing was lovely to listen to. I also appreciated the brevity of the book, which aligned with the references to myths. The author covered so much in a short timeframe, which mostly worked. That said, there were a lot of characters thrown out in a short timeframe, which made it hard to remember who was who.
I liked the main message (that I got out of) this book: that our stories today are no less interesting, emotional, or powerful than those told in mythology. That the people of today will one day be the new ancients.
I liked the main message (that I got out of) this book: that our stories today are no less interesting, emotional, or powerful than those told in mythology. That the people of today will one day be the new ancients.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Gore
The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
This book is neither helpful nor enjoyable to read.
At the beginning of the book, the author talks about our annoying inner voice that never shuts up, makes little sense, and disturbs our inner peace... and then he proceeds to let his inner voice write the entire book. It read like a stream of consciousness. It was vague, contradictory, repetitive, and arrogant.
The author's inability to concisely make his point highlights his lack of knowledge on the subject. The structure was a mess. There was no credible research cited. There was no thoughtful analysis of spiritual theories. The content consisted of vague ramblings about happiness and countless examples of how "you" would react in various situations. He says so much without really saying anything at all. I was left with the impression that he had nothing to say, but a word count to fill. The whole thing screams of a privileged white man pretending to be a spiritual guru.
Although there were a few valuable reminders, they were largely obscured by the filler. Moreover, the "insights" were not actionable. For example, he claims people need to "let go" of previous experiences that are taking us out of the present moment (and let them all go, all at once, because doing it one at a time is too slow), but provides no actionable advice on how to do so.
The useful tidbits (in the first 1/3 of the book):
At the beginning of the book, the author talks about our annoying inner voice that never shuts up, makes little sense, and disturbs our inner peace... and then he proceeds to let his inner voice write the entire book. It read like a stream of consciousness. It was vague, contradictory, repetitive, and arrogant.
The author's inability to concisely make his point highlights his lack of knowledge on the subject. The structure was a mess. There was no credible research cited. There was no thoughtful analysis of spiritual theories. The content consisted of vague ramblings about happiness and countless examples of how "you" would react in various situations. He says so much without really saying anything at all. I was left with the impression that he had nothing to say, but a word count to fill. The whole thing screams of a privileged white man pretending to be a spiritual guru.
Although there were a few valuable reminders, they were largely obscured by the filler. Moreover, the "insights" were not actionable. For example, he claims people need to "let go" of previous experiences that are taking us out of the present moment (and let them all go, all at once, because doing it one at a time is too slow), but provides no actionable advice on how to do so.
The useful tidbits (in the first 1/3 of the book):
- Your thoughts don't define you. Step back and listen to what your inner voice is saying. Learn to quiet it so you can live in the present.
- Your past experiences can negatively influence your current behavior. When this occurs, don't try to push down those bad feelings/ memories, but embrace them.
The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lots of twists & turns. Some were more enjoyable than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Stalking, Alcoholism, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Injury/injury detail
Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
I can't get past the terrible writing style.
I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
An intimate, tragic memoir about a child actor. The book read like a series of short journal entries, with the author’s voice slowly changing as she matured. In the book, she describes her childhood growing up in a household that was low-income, violent, and emotionally unpredictable. She recounts stories of being emotionally, mentally, and sexually abused by her mother. She unpacks the desperation and helplessness of trying to force herself to fit into a life she never wanted as an actress. She lays bare her poor coping mechanisms–OCD, disordered eating, alcoholism, and co-dependent relationships with shitty men. Lastly, she discusses her journey toward recovery.
This book was hard to read as it was direct, graphic, and brutal. She goes into detail about the abuse from her mother, as well as from those around her. Although this book was centered on her mother, I found most of the people in her life just as bad, or at least complicit. From those also trying to abuse/manipulate her (ex: her grandmother, the creator, boyfriends), to those who stayed silent when she needed help (ex: her father, her grandfather). It is truly heartbreaking to think of a child / young adult surrounded by so many adults that are actively harming her.
The book ends with...
The book ends with...
Spoiler
her quitting acting, seeking help for her eating disorder, and coming to terms with her mother's abuse. At first, it felt like the book ended a little too abruptly. I thought perhaps she should have waited a bit longer--recovered, started the next phase of her life, etc--to publish the book. But I ultimately landed on the feeling that the reader isn't owed a happy ending. Moreover, there probably won't be one clear place in her life where she gets a happy end from there on out. Life will present many ups and downs. She will likely be unpacking her trauma, working on her coping mechanisms, and re-inventing herself over and over again for the rest of her life. Therefore, the messy ending was genuine.Despite the backlash, I think this title is an appropriate summation of the book. We do not get to dictate how others process their trauma. We do not control if / how people mourn. We do not owe the dead a positive legacy, especially if they were objectively terrible people while alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Injury/injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Infidelity, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence
TW: There are GRAPHIC details about her sexual abuse, eating disorder, and alcoholism. Please do not read this book if you find any of those topics triggering.
The Love Hypothesis, by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book is cheesy, but in a fun, self-indulgent way. A fake dating book that likes to poke fun at the whole fake dating trope. Most of the book seemed pretty cliche YA, but it got a little spicy towards the end. I'd say this is a fun, light-hearted beach read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Grief
Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
This felt like a book-length version of those cheesy quotes on Facebook that say things like "a flower cannot blossom without rain." Overall, the book was cheesy, superficial, and disorganized.
To be fair, it wasn't all bad. The author has clearly lived many different lives as she's worked to find herself. She's turned her story into a series of easily digestible anecdotes and life lessons. There were a few powerful reminders about self-love, romantic love, and parenting. There were some empowering messages about trusting your intuition, defining happiness for yourself, and challenging oppressive systems.
That said, the actual book itself was a mess. It was simultaneously overly formulaic and completely unorganized. Each chapter starts with a simple anecdote, has an a-ha!/ light bulb moment, and then ends with a life lesson to tie it all together. That said, the chapters were in no coherent order--neither chronologically or by theme. I'm convinced you could randomize the order of the chapters had have a fairly similar reading experience. It was incredibly frustrating to guess where you were chronologically. Moreover, the author was constantly learning a lesson, just to jump back in the timeline and re-learning the same lesson. It made the a-ha moment feel forced and insincere. Lastly, the strange order made the book feel incredibly repetitive, as no topic was given enough space within a single chapter to reach any depth.
The author should have put all the stories in chronological order. This would have helped clearly describe who she used to be, provide us a chance to root for her in her non-linear journey, and then display a character arc. Alternatively, she could have given a brief overview of her story in the introduction, then organized all the chapters (in chronological order!!) into sections organized by large themes, such as inner self, love, parenting, god/ religious institutions, community/activism. I think the messages could have been so much more powerful if she started describing her internal journey, and then how it changed her relationships with those of various proximity to her.
Overall, I think the book was fine. Perhaps I'm just not the target audience... This book might be written for women who are white, christian, politically moderate, mothers (who she used to be). To be fair, if she can reach those kinds of women and engage them on issues related to race, gender, sexual misogyny, etc., then that's a win in my book. That said, I have the feeling she's mostly preaching to the choir.
To be fair, it wasn't all bad. The author has clearly lived many different lives as she's worked to find herself. She's turned her story into a series of easily digestible anecdotes and life lessons. There were a few powerful reminders about self-love, romantic love, and parenting. There were some empowering messages about trusting your intuition, defining happiness for yourself, and challenging oppressive systems.
That said, the actual book itself was a mess. It was simultaneously overly formulaic and completely unorganized. Each chapter starts with a simple anecdote, has an a-ha!/ light bulb moment, and then ends with a life lesson to tie it all together. That said, the chapters were in no coherent order--neither chronologically or by theme. I'm convinced you could randomize the order of the chapters had have a fairly similar reading experience. It was incredibly frustrating to guess where you were chronologically. Moreover, the author was constantly learning a lesson, just to jump back in the timeline and re-learning the same lesson. It made the a-ha moment feel forced and insincere. Lastly, the strange order made the book feel incredibly repetitive, as no topic was given enough space within a single chapter to reach any depth.
The author should have put all the stories in chronological order. This would have helped clearly describe who she used to be, provide us a chance to root for her in her non-linear journey, and then display a character arc. Alternatively, she could have given a brief overview of her story in the introduction, then organized all the chapters (in chronological order!!) into sections organized by large themes, such as inner self, love, parenting, god/ religious institutions, community/activism. I think the messages could have been so much more powerful if she started describing her internal journey, and then how it changed her relationships with those of various proximity to her.
Overall, I think the book was fine. Perhaps I'm just not the target audience... This book might be written for women who are white, christian, politically moderate, mothers (who she used to be). To be fair, if she can reach those kinds of women and engage them on issues related to race, gender, sexual misogyny, etc., then that's a win in my book. That said, I have the feeling she's mostly preaching to the choir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Racism, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Rape, Infidelity, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Classism, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, and Gun violence
Spoiler
At one point, when she is expressing her repulsion at having sex with her husband, she is gaslit into being told to make it work. She describes having 'consensual' but emotionally manipulated sexual encounters
The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent
The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
When I finished the book, I initially had mixed feelings. I loved all the twists and turns. That said, I felt the characters were a little two-dimensional and unbelievable. Moreover, there were some plot holes and loose threads that were never tied up. That said, the more I think about it and read other reviews (especially the complaints) the more I realize the genius of this book.
I loved the plot twist at the end, as I didn't suspect Zoey. I thought it was Henry or Fred for most of the book. That said, I was left feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the explanation, but was having trouble articulating why it didn't make sense. It wasn't until I started reading the negative reviews and all the plot holes that these astute readers were referring to that I realized the genius of this book:
all of the characters were unreliable narrators.
There was Mariana, who clearly had a blind spot when it came to recognizing the signs of toxic and/or dangerous people. From her brushing off the dangerous implications of a client stalking her. Her instance that her father was a good man, despite his neglecting her as a child. Her poor character judgment with her niece, despite others implying she was unlikeable. Her memories of Sebastian as a romantic, nurturing man, despite something nefarious happening behind the scenes. Her openness to pursuing something romantic with Fred in the end, despite his love bombing and over-stepping boundaries--which, as a therapist, she should have recognized as a red flag. Mariana clearly is a poor judge of character and has questionable judgment in general.
Then there was Sebastian, who supposedly wrote the journal entries throughout the book. His journal entries were dark, and very unlike how Mariana described him. They also left unanswered questions. Did he kill his mother, or did she just leave and never come back? It's unclear, but it's suggested that he killed her and then rewrote the memory as a dream.
Then there is Zoe, whose "motive" includes details that are clearly at odds with Mariana's recollection of events. How could Sebastian have gotten with Mariana just to get to Zoe if he didn't meet the child until well into the relationship? How could he be in love with Zoe from the moment he saw her if she was just a young child when they met? Sure, he could have been a pedophile, but pedophiles tend to have a preferred age range, and he didn't sexually abuse Zoe until she was 15. Lastly, Zoe claims Sebastian strangled Mariana's father, but Mariana said he died of a heart attack--and what medical professional would mix up the two causes of death? Not to mention the weirdness with the Maidens / Fosca viewing Zoe as one of them, despite her saying she'd only joined them one time. Basically, nothing she said could be taken at face value.
Therefore, this isn't so much of a "whodunit" so much as a web of unreliable narratives to untangle. It left me with so many questions. For starters, how much of Zoe's story about the affair (read: sexual abuse) and subsequent murder plot was real?
My interpretation was that Sebastian had a history of physical (maybe sexual?) abuse at the hands of his father. He likely murdered his mother as revenge for trying to abandon him. He grew up to be a dangerous man, repeating the cycle of abuse. Mariana was blinded by love and only saw what she wanted to see (a doting husband). Sebastian sexually abused Zoe, but it was probably opportunistic and did not start until she was older (13ish?). Zoe was a young girl who was groomed and abused by a father figure, and then created a narrative of forbidden love to make sense of the trauma. Sebastian fed into her delusions by swearing one day he would leave and/or kill Mariana so they could be together. When he died, Zoe wanted to kill Mariana, her mother figure, to get revenge for taking away Sebastian, but also for shattering her delusion of him. The Greek tragedy theme really plays in nicely here with reference to adult-minor relationships, abusive father figures, revenge, fate, sorrow, etc.
Spoiler
I loved the plot twist at the end, as I didn't suspect Zoey. I thought it was Henry or Fred for most of the book. That said, I was left feeling somewhat unsatisfied with the explanation, but was having trouble articulating why it didn't make sense. It wasn't until I started reading the negative reviews and all the plot holes that these astute readers were referring to that I realized the genius of this book:
all of the characters were unreliable narrators.
There was Mariana, who clearly had a blind spot when it came to recognizing the signs of toxic and/or dangerous people. From her brushing off the dangerous implications of a client stalking her. Her instance that her father was a good man, despite his neglecting her as a child. Her poor character judgment with her niece, despite others implying she was unlikeable. Her memories of Sebastian as a romantic, nurturing man, despite something nefarious happening behind the scenes. Her openness to pursuing something romantic with Fred in the end, despite his love bombing and over-stepping boundaries--which, as a therapist, she should have recognized as a red flag. Mariana clearly is a poor judge of character and has questionable judgment in general.
Then there was Sebastian, who supposedly wrote the journal entries throughout the book. His journal entries were dark, and very unlike how Mariana described him. They also left unanswered questions. Did he kill his mother, or did she just leave and never come back? It's unclear, but it's suggested that he killed her and then rewrote the memory as a dream.
Then there is Zoe, whose "motive" includes details that are clearly at odds with Mariana's recollection of events. How could Sebastian have gotten with Mariana just to get to Zoe if he didn't meet the child until well into the relationship? How could he be in love with Zoe from the moment he saw her if she was just a young child when they met? Sure, he could have been a pedophile, but pedophiles tend to have a preferred age range, and he didn't sexually abuse Zoe until she was 15. Lastly, Zoe claims Sebastian strangled Mariana's father, but Mariana said he died of a heart attack--and what medical professional would mix up the two causes of death? Not to mention the weirdness with the Maidens / Fosca viewing Zoe as one of them, despite her saying she'd only joined them one time. Basically, nothing she said could be taken at face value.
Therefore, this isn't so much of a "whodunit" so much as a web of unreliable narratives to untangle. It left me with so many questions. For starters, how much of Zoe's story about the affair (read: sexual abuse) and subsequent murder plot was real?
My interpretation was that Sebastian had a history of physical (maybe sexual?) abuse at the hands of his father. He likely murdered his mother as revenge for trying to abandon him. He grew up to be a dangerous man, repeating the cycle of abuse. Mariana was blinded by love and only saw what she wanted to see (a doting husband). Sebastian sexually abused Zoe, but it was probably opportunistic and did not start until she was older (13ish?). Zoe was a young girl who was groomed and abused by a father figure, and then created a narrative of forbidden love to make sense of the trauma. Sebastian fed into her delusions by swearing one day he would leave and/or kill Mariana so they could be together. When he died, Zoe wanted to kill Mariana, her mother figure, to get revenge for taking away Sebastian, but also for shattering her delusion of him. The Greek tragedy theme really plays in nicely here with reference to adult-minor relationships, abusive father figures, revenge, fate, sorrow, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship