sunfishcakes's reviews
203 reviews

A Short History of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-Peterson

4.0

I think the first two chapters (not including the introduction) were the most interesting and robust. The last one felt more akin to literary analysis than historical, though it still contained intriguing points of dissection.

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki

3.0

As a graphic novel, kind of a struggle to read. Not because if the subject matter, but the large amount of characters with the samey, simple rendering made it difficult to follow. There's some good comics craft on display in spurts, but not as much as I wish there was. This would probably be a 2.5 if not for the ending chapters, which I think are very good.

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

4.0

I do feel like there were a couple of points that were tied up a little too neatly to get the plot and desired character developments moving to whatever Pacat's goals were for my own liking. I also wish there was an epilogue/debriefing! However! Still a really satisfying read and ending to this series. The thematic and character parallels done here are really something. In particular, it's so much fun reading a character intended to be a smart, masterful schemer to actually feel like one to the very end.

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Sheila Heen, Bruce Patton

4.5

I can't speak to this affecting my life as I've just finished reading it, but I think the concepts and framing are very useful (at least as much as a self-help book can be). What I really appreciate about this book is its focus on self-reflection and not just the tecunique and words of conversation.

The Great Beyond by Léa Murawiec

4.0

I think this comic is best approached akin to a scifi short story. There are parts I wish were further expanded or dwelt on, but I can appreciate the brevity.  The cartooning is extremely gorgeous and creative. I love how the world-building is dropped into the story. Just a neat little tale.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

3.5

How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex by Samantha Cole

3.5

A nice, accessible primer on the ways sex and the technology internet have intertwined over the decades that's pro-sex worker, pro-labor rights, anti-censorship, and anti-misogyny. I feel like some of the layout choices for terminology weren't great, and some areas underdiscussed (such as digital erotic literature), but it was good nonetheless. 

Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls by Kai Cheng Thom

I'm thankful that this was a book of poetry that I felt I could engage with. The throughline of love and gratitude helped a lot. I struggle with reading collected volumes of poetry. I still struggled a bit with this one too, thus the lack of a rating. Still worth meditating on though.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

4.0

Honestly, the craft feels sloppier than Mexican Gothic (a book I didn't review at the time but would also likely give a 4/5). The narration and exposition were clunkier than I liked.

However! I had a wonderful time. I was truly sucked in the whole time. I really loved this book and the themes and the characters and their dynamics. It was all so tasty. The climax was especially exciting and moving.

And I am a romance fiend who thought Montserrat and Tristan's messy but ete nally loving friendship was so juicy and heartfelt and sexy, so the romantic ending made me whoop.

If the prose was stronger, then this would be an easy 5/5 for me. So while a part of me feels that rating this as 4/5 is bit high, it very much is the experience I felt.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

4.5

A very humbling book. I'll be thinking about it for a while.