mittland's reviews
720 reviews

Overflow by Travis Alabanza

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

 if youve ever made a friend or an enemy in a public bathroom this is a must. would love to see this performed on stage 

En port till havet: brev från arabiska bögar by Khaled Alesmael

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

 wonderful. romantic, funny, heartbreaking, scary, inspiring. i was on the brink of tears but managed to keep it together during one chapter. 

Facts Concerning The Late Arthur Jermyn and his Family by H.P. Lovecraft

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 same old, same old. not your best h.p. handing this back with red marker. 

In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life by Jamie Windust

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.0

 very much gives me the impression that this is a first time author. I had hoped this would be more extensive, but if you have a little bit of prior knowledge about non-binary identities there's not much new here.
things were at times oddly sourced, repetitive and there were a lot of statements I'm not sure I agree with: Gender expression is something that is not often spoken about when it comes to gender identity. That's not true in my experience, and it reads like a statement from someone who hasn't read a lot of queer literature. 
an easy read, and might be a good intro for a younger reader 

A Haunted House and Other Short Stories by Virginia Woolf

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 some very hard for me to understand (i still havent reached woolf comprehension) and some very impactful. 

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out for by Alison Bechdel

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 depressingly cyclical, but of course with that liberating in how close this is to our everyday reality. should be assigned reading 

The Duke in His Domain by Truman Capote

emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

 "Do you know how I make a friend?” He leaned a little toward me, as though he had an amusing secret to impart. “I go about it very gently. I circle around and around. I circle. Then, gradually, I come nearer. Then I reach out and touch them—ah, so gently . . .” His fingers stretched forward like insect feelers and grazed my arm. “Then,” he said, one eye half shut, the other, à la Rasputin, mesmerically wide and shining, “I draw back. Wait awhile. Make them wonder. At just the right moment, I move in again. Touch them. Circle.” Now his hand, broad and blunt-fingered, travelled in a rotating pattern, as though it held a rope with which he was binding an invisible presence. “They don’t know what’s happening. Before they realize it, they’re all entangled, involved. I have them. And suddenly, sometimes, I’m all they have. A lot of them, you see, are people who don’t fit anywhere; they’re not accepted, they’ve been hurt, crippled one way or another. But I want to help them, and they can focus on me; I’m the duke. Sort of the duke of my domain.” 

House of Clay by Naomi Nowak

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

 wouldnt call this "good", but it is pretty if you enjoy this hyperspecific style which to me is both othering and nostalgic. i remember reading comics like this when i was around ten and the style was popular, and never really understanding it. still dont 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

great up until the half way point were my curiosity started to fade. wish there would have been more of a pay off 

City of Night by John Rechy

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a new all time favorite. never wanted it to end. will be revisiting.