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readingwithmuggy's reviews
358 reviews
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
5.0
“She has been happy here, and anxiously miserable, but she has never been free.”
“You want to know danger? she thinks. Try living with a man who creates you just so he can eat your soul.”
This is basically a black mirror ep in book form. I’m teetering on the edge between 4.5-5 stars. The premise alone may not seem like it’s for you, but wow this is a perfect commentary on the objectification of people (specifically women), the ability for AI to be sentient, the lack of genuine love and connection when you are owned by someone. The yearning for autonomy & individuality. Explores what separates man from robot and what happens when the line begins to blur. This book is definitely a warning that I know the world will not heed and this definitely has the potential to be our future.
“You want to know danger? she thinks. Try living with a man who creates you just so he can eat your soul.”
This is basically a black mirror ep in book form. I’m teetering on the edge between 4.5-5 stars. The premise alone may not seem like it’s for you, but wow this is a perfect commentary on the objectification of people (specifically women), the ability for AI to be sentient, the lack of genuine love and connection when you are owned by someone. The yearning for autonomy & individuality. Explores what separates man from robot and what happens when the line begins to blur. This book is definitely a warning that I know the world will not heed and this definitely has the potential to be our future.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
4.0
“‘You’d rather sit here with your nose in a book?’ ‘Vastly,’ I said, and he shook his head at me, not in disgust but utter bemusement. ‘Very well, you strange creature,’ he said, and to my astonishment he took off his cloak and settled himself in the other chair. ‘You don’t have to stay. I’m perfectly content by myself.’ ‘Yes, I’ve noticed.’”
The coziest vibes and certainly the best snow day companion. I love Emily, Wendell, the magic and of course Shadow & Poe. This author knows how to describe a scene that paints a perfect portrait. I will definitely be checking out the sequels! 🍄🌿
The coziest vibes and certainly the best snow day companion. I love Emily, Wendell, the magic and of course Shadow & Poe. This author knows how to describe a scene that paints a perfect portrait. I will definitely be checking out the sequels! 🍄🌿
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
5.0
“My family tried to erase this history. But my body remembers. My work ethic. My fear of cockroaches. My hatred for the taste of dirt. These are not random attributes, a spin of the wheel. They were gifted to me with purpose, with necessity. I want to have words for what my bones know. I want to use those gifts when they serve me and understand and forgive them when they do not. But now I turn my head like the Sankofa bird and see nothing. I want to reclaim my stolen past. I need it to write my future.”
This book is an in depth look at Stephanie Foo’s journey through trauma and her diagnosis of C-PTSD. It is a beautiful journey at self acceptance and love, of found family, of feeling your feelings, & setting appropriate boundaries with people who harm you. It looks at family history, and the connection between physical health & mental health, it requires self reflection and accountability. This book deserves all the accolades & I will have to buy a physical copy for my bookshelf.
This book is an in depth look at Stephanie Foo’s journey through trauma and her diagnosis of C-PTSD. It is a beautiful journey at self acceptance and love, of found family, of feeling your feelings, & setting appropriate boundaries with people who harm you. It looks at family history, and the connection between physical health & mental health, it requires self reflection and accountability. This book deserves all the accolades & I will have to buy a physical copy for my bookshelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Grief
Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate
This was an interesting memoir about the wacky and unconventional therapy that helped Christie work through life’s traumas and heal her deep attachment issues. Although I’m positive that Dr. Rosen violated several ethical guidelines and sometimes came across creepy, I’m glad this was a positive experience for her. Really enjoyed this on audio as you could hear the author’s full range of emotions. Tempted to give it 5 stars but am going to leave it unrated due to the ethical issues at play and the unrealistic expectations it could give people about group therapy.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
5.0
I knew this book had been raved about but I actually had no idea what the plot was. Our main character Phoebe is going through a hard time. Between her husband’s infidelity and struggling with infertility, Phoebe loses all hope and checks into a fancy hotel to attempt suicide. Upon arrival at the hotel she soon discovers the entire hotel has been booked for a wedding of strangers she doesn’t know. After a run in with the bride where she lays out her intentions for her visit, the wedding people begin to weave their way into Phoebe’s story. Cultivating hope & honesty, this book was a beautiful take on the human experience.
I have so many quotes I highlighted so here are a handful:
“The doors open. The top floor. Phoebe is finally here. But of course, it doesn’t really matter where she is. She can be on the top floor, by the ocean, or in the small bedroom of her house. There is no such thing as a happy place. Because when you are happy, everywhere is a happy place. And when you are sad, everywhere is a sad place.”
•
“But that is how it happens, she realizes. One moment of pretending to be great leads to the next moment of pretending to be great, and ten years later, she realizes she’s spent her entire life just pretending to be great.”
•
“She had spent it reading instead of going out with her friends or on dates with men. And yes, sometimes she read too much. Sometimes, she read books instead of living a life, but didn’t that just mean that her life was about reading books? And couldn’t that be a life the way his life was all about floating on a river? Every night, she watched her father put on gear and wordlessly get in the boat and try to hook the same fish he’d fished for years and he never thought this was strange at all. But he looked at her reading Emma and said, ‘Go outside, live a little.’”
•
“Phoebe was the only person waiting in the dark to condemn herself for every single thing when the day was over. “Can you take a different approach?” her therapist asked her. “Can you sometimes just try to love what you hate about yourself?” She didn’t understand this question at the time. She didn’t understand how she could love herself. She didn’t understand what people even meant when they said they loved themselves. She honestly didn’t believe them. How could you love yourself? How could you love yourself when you know every single horrible thing you’ve ever thought?”
•
“‘She always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day,’ Woolf wrote. And it’s true. How easy to be dead. How lucky to be alive, even for just one day.”
•
“And so Phoebe joins. Phoebe has no other option left but to join—she tried to opt out, tried to sit on the sidelines, tried to leave this world. But she is still here. So she walks into the group, and they celebrate her arrival, clap and twirl around her. She feels silly at first, but they make it so easy. They are generous with their enthusiasm. They give it all to Phoebe, hold her hands and bump her hips, and by the time the song is over, Phoebe feels so overwhelmed, so part of the group, she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She looks in the mirror. I am here, she thinks.”
I have so many quotes I highlighted so here are a handful:
“The doors open. The top floor. Phoebe is finally here. But of course, it doesn’t really matter where she is. She can be on the top floor, by the ocean, or in the small bedroom of her house. There is no such thing as a happy place. Because when you are happy, everywhere is a happy place. And when you are sad, everywhere is a sad place.”
•
“But that is how it happens, she realizes. One moment of pretending to be great leads to the next moment of pretending to be great, and ten years later, she realizes she’s spent her entire life just pretending to be great.”
•
“She had spent it reading instead of going out with her friends or on dates with men. And yes, sometimes she read too much. Sometimes, she read books instead of living a life, but didn’t that just mean that her life was about reading books? And couldn’t that be a life the way his life was all about floating on a river? Every night, she watched her father put on gear and wordlessly get in the boat and try to hook the same fish he’d fished for years and he never thought this was strange at all. But he looked at her reading Emma and said, ‘Go outside, live a little.’”
•
“Phoebe was the only person waiting in the dark to condemn herself for every single thing when the day was over. “Can you take a different approach?” her therapist asked her. “Can you sometimes just try to love what you hate about yourself?” She didn’t understand this question at the time. She didn’t understand how she could love herself. She didn’t understand what people even meant when they said they loved themselves. She honestly didn’t believe them. How could you love yourself? How could you love yourself when you know every single horrible thing you’ve ever thought?”
•
“‘She always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day,’ Woolf wrote. And it’s true. How easy to be dead. How lucky to be alive, even for just one day.”
•
“And so Phoebe joins. Phoebe has no other option left but to join—she tried to opt out, tried to sit on the sidelines, tried to leave this world. But she is still here. So she walks into the group, and they celebrate her arrival, clap and twirl around her. She feels silly at first, but they make it so easy. They are generous with their enthusiasm. They give it all to Phoebe, hold her hands and bump her hips, and by the time the song is over, Phoebe feels so overwhelmed, so part of the group, she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She looks in the mirror. I am here, she thinks.”
Pageboy by Elliot Page
Brave and poignant. I was saddened to know how much Elliot was struggling with his gender and sexuality while playing beloved characters like Juno! I’m so glad I got an inside look into his experience of being queer and trans.
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4.0
A beautiful and brief exploration into who you are and where you come from. In this story, Zikora begins her journey into motherhood while examining who her parents are and how they have become the people they are today.
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
3.0
I can’t decide if I loved this book or hated it. It kept me on the edge of my seat until toward the end when I started to get bored. I also didn’t realize there were two books that follow this one but I don’t see myself continuing the series. Thrilling and at times predictable but overall a fast paced read.
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
5.0
This is a harrowing and beautifully written story about how easy it is for people to be taken advantage of & isolated under the guise of “spiritual accountability”. Most people would say, “that would never be me” but Bethany Joy Lenz explains exactly how it could be. I haven’t been a part of anything close to the level of what Joy describes but there were several parts of this that hit home. 10/10 would recommend!
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
3.5
3.5 not as great as I remember it being but also read this series in middle school. The main relationship was unbelievable to me and kinda cringy. I do love a dystopian novel though. I’ll probably read the next one at some point cause I truly don’t remember what happens next.