poenaestante's reviews
476 reviews

Apocalypse Taco by Nathan Hale

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was fun but not great.
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This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This book initially drew me in with the little boy's medical mystery and I sorta glossed over the mom's issues. However, eventually the mom endeared herself to me. I did find it annoying how moony she was over her husband, but I'll forgive it.
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The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Nelson's writing is razor sharp and touching. I've never read a book like this before. Just terrific!
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Maame by Jessica George

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

This book tore me to pieces. It was like looking at a younger version of myself. So much in common.  Really a beautiful (if occasionally trite) read.
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Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel

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

3.5

I love this woman so much but the book felt like...rehash? Not great.
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The First Bad Man by Miranda July

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dark funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was weird but a total page-turner!
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Luster by Raven Leilani

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challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The book hooked me in from the very first page. I had no clue what this book was about when I picked it up from ny neighbor's community library box, and I'm rarely a fiction reader but I do have time for black authors. This book was so novel and arresting that I can't wait to see what the author does next
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Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker

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funny informative medium-paced

5.0

Super informative book. I read a digital copy from the library but I just bought a physical copy to keep as a reference.  Queer is such a dense topic but this book did an AMAZING job of explaining it, unpacking many of the ideas, and then queering everything! I learned so much and gained a lot of information that will undoubtedly be useful as more and more conversations arise around what queerness is and why it matters!
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National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen

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informative medium-paced

3.5

There is a lot of interesting information in here, but something is off. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it's almost like the author wrote this book for herself, like personal memoirs and less for an audience. A lot kf things just go unexplained, she makes up weird acronyms qnd nickname  for things.  This book is like watching someone eat a delicious meal and waiting to be offered a taste. It feels almost...rude? I dunno. It definitely feels highly narcissistic and self-aggrandizing. I guess travel writing requires you to like the traveler and I, sadly, just don't like Anya von Bremzen.

I will note for posterity that I skipped the Spain and Turkey chapters because I just am not terribly interested in those foods.
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

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

4.0

This kind of stuff is catnip for me. Awww, it's cute boys falling in love! The lettering is horrendous and the drawings could've used more love in places but none of it distracted from the great story. I think I'll take a look at the tv show soon.
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