shannaconda's reviews
36 reviews
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Police brutality
Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks: Over 70 sanity saving hacks for better knitting by Patty Lyons
funny
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Blood
Spoiler
Maia describes discovering sexual arousal and masturbation and first sexual experiences. there is some nudity but nothing graphic. Maia has intense dysphoria around menstruation including nightmares with a lot of blood in them, and depicts two traumatic experiences with Pap smears.
Queer Country by Shana Goldin-Perschbacher
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Some interesting discussion and history here.
This is definitely an academic publication and I'm no academic - though it's not nearly as dense as some, it definitely takes some focus and parsing that can lead to slow going. I think Goldin-Perschbacher overly focuses (at least in later chapters talking about more contemporary musicians) on the way queer artists use country music aesthetics to convey queer longing and lonesome journeys -- as opposed to queer country artists who are also from rural backgrounds. It seems like in the larger conversation around what does and doesn't count as authenticity vs. appropriation in country music that would factor in a little more. Some of the sections felt a little disjointed, like the section about filmmaking focusing on Joe Stevens, Rae Spoon, and the film Transamerica, which stars no trans or queer people and features a song by Dolly Parton.
My biggest takeaway from this book as a queer person and lifelong country listener is honestly going to be the discography in the back of the artists she references, many I know but many I owe a deeper listen.
This is definitely an academic publication and I'm no academic - though it's not nearly as dense as some, it definitely takes some focus and parsing that can lead to slow going. I think Goldin-Perschbacher overly focuses (at least in later chapters talking about more contemporary musicians) on the way queer artists use country music aesthetics to convey queer longing and lonesome journeys -- as opposed to queer country artists who are also from rural backgrounds. It seems like in the larger conversation around what does and doesn't count as authenticity vs. appropriation in country music that would factor in a little more. Some of the sections felt a little disjointed, like the section about filmmaking focusing on Joe Stevens, Rae Spoon, and the film Transamerica, which stars no trans or queer people and features a song by Dolly Parton.
My biggest takeaway from this book as a queer person and lifelong country listener is honestly going to be the discography in the back of the artists she references, many I know but many I owe a deeper listen.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
5.0
I read this as I was thinking about getting married and it was everything I was feeling. A sweet and thoughtful graphic memoir.
Adnan's Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial by Rabia Chaudry
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.0
When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This is one of those books (and real life stories) I can't stop thinking about.
The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Evan Ratliff
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
It was interesting, but I had this from the library and it's just very long and a bit slow. I think if I had longer with it and a physical book instead of an e-book I would eventually have finished it, but i renewed it several times before finally just letting it go back. I don't know that it was compelling enough for me to check it out again.