I thought this was a delight! Listened to it on audio and Cary Elwes did a great job + he has snippets of many other people who worked on the movie thI thought this was a delight! Listened to it on audio and Cary Elwes did a great job + he has snippets of many other people who worked on the movie that come in and read their parts themselves, which was a fun touch. Feel-good with some interesting tidbits. ...more
Funny collection of short stories from James's life about ridiculous situations he'd gotten himself into. Great audiobook and thoroughly entertaining.Funny collection of short stories from James's life about ridiculous situations he'd gotten himself into. Great audiobook and thoroughly entertaining....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: ERITREA === Interesting collection that includes several memoir essays of the author's childhood and experiences durAround the World Reading Challenge: ERITREA === Interesting collection that includes several memoir essays of the author's childhood and experiences during the struggle for independence in Eritrea from Ethiopian occupation, as well as several short plays written by the author. I enjoyed the writing and learning more about Eritrea, which isn't a country I've much knowledge about. I do wish there'd been a bit more of the historical context here, as this really throws you into the author's remembrances and really presumes the reader has a good baseline knowledge of the Ethiopian occupation and what they were fighting for and against. It was certainly readable without that knowledge, but I think even having a brief overview of the occupation would help contextualize the essays....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: EAST TIMOR === 1.5 rounded up
I was quite interested to read this one, as this is an account of the author's life groAround the World Reading Challenge: EAST TIMOR === 1.5 rounded up
I was quite interested to read this one, as this is an account of the author's life growing up in East Timor under Portuguese rule before the country became independent, and was subsequently invaded by Indonesia--none of which I was at all familiar with. Unfortunately, despite--or perhaps because of--the book's brevity, I found this a bit of a slog. The narrative is totally baffling, with massive time jumps with no explanation and chapters that pick up in the middle of events without context, to the point where I thought I'd skipped a chapter. There is so much interesting history happening here, but I didn't feel like I got any sense of the author's life or what was going on, as the style felt nonsensical and opaque. Can't recommend this one....more
I listened to this on audiobook and I'd highly recommend, as it's read by the author who is known for her comedic impressions, which really brought thI listened to this on audiobook and I'd highly recommend, as it's read by the author who is known for her comedic impressions, which really brought this to life. I'm vaguely familiar with Maria from her various guest appearances, but am by no means a superfan, and I found this an engaging and entertaining read. The structure of telling the story of her various mental health struggles via the groups "cults" that helped her through along the way was clever and I thought it worked well--but if you're here because you love all things cults, you'll be disappointed. I appreciated the candid look and approach to mental health, and I just generally thought it was an entertaining and, on the whole, uplifting listen....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: ISRAEL === 1.5 rounded up
I'll admit, I hadn't realized that this was a memoir when I started reading -- I'd thought Around the World Reading Challenge: ISRAEL === 1.5 rounded up
I'll admit, I hadn't realized that this was a memoir when I started reading -- I'd thought it was a novel with semi-autobiographical elements, and the style is certainly told in that way, though perhaps the need to stick to facts as the author knows/remembers them contributed to my lack of enjoyment. I found this entirely book to be utterly dry and dull beyond belief, and entirely too long. Chapters are dedicated to what felt like every person the author had every met in childhood, in exhausting, mind-numbing detail. I never managed to care one ounce about a single person--of which there were many--that appeared on screen. Again, perhaps due to the memoir nature and the author not wanting to take license. Oz chronicles his childhood in Jerusalem in the last years of Mandatory Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel, and while I could appreciate the feelings of him and the Jewish people who surrounded him, and of course they'd be biased towards Israel, deeply traumatized by the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, and did not have prominent positions in government (and Oz himself was a mere child at the time), but I found the reiterating of some of their perspectives during this time to be upsetting, particularly given that the author was writing this as an adult. It felt clear throughout that the author felt defensive of Israel and their actions against the Palestinian people, and while he does make a few concessions to this in the book, the focus is overwhelmingly on the suffering of Jewish Israeli civilians during the various conflicts, and what felt like a lot of finger pointing at the "Arabs" for "initiating" hostilities, as if settler colonialism isn't an inherent act of aggression. I was not surprised to see this viewpoint in the book, and while I can and do have sympathy for the Jewish position, and particularly the collective trauma that clearly influenced/s so many of Israel's actions, it doesn't excuse them.
So I found the book overly long, the views on Israel/Palestine lacking any perspective, and the story structure, in which the author bounces back and forth in time willy nilly, and spends no time at all on his adulthood, to be confusing and uninspiring. I know this book is widely lauded, and sure there were some pretty lines throughout, but I cannot recommend it....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: MALAWI === Memoir of a Malawian boy in the country who, despite being unable to continue his education due to a lackAround the World Reading Challenge: MALAWI === Memoir of a Malawian boy in the country who, despite being unable to continue his education due to a lack of money, was able to teach himself the fundamentals of energy and electricity, creating a windmill to power his home. I enjoyed the writing style here and the whole memoir felt very readable! It was published in 2009, when William was only 22, so it's certainly not a comprehensive life story, but I found it to be very engaging....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: QATAR === Very interesting and readable memoir, told so fluidly I frequently forgot I was reading a memoir and not aAround the World Reading Challenge: QATAR === Very interesting and readable memoir, told so fluidly I frequently forgot I was reading a memoir and not a novel I was particularly drawn to this one as I'm fairly familiar with the PNW/American place the author grew up. She wonderfully captures that tumultuous teenage period of trying to find one's place and identity, exacerbated here by the differing cultures of her American mom and Bedouin dad. I really enjoyed the writing and thought this was a compelling read, though it really does stick t0 the coming-of-age themes, ending soon after her first year in college, and I did find myself wishing we'd gotten a bit more....more
I thought this was an interesting concept and on the whole it quite worked for me. Not exactly revolutionary, but the way the author r3.5 rounded down
I thought this was an interesting concept and on the whole it quite worked for me. Not exactly revolutionary, but the way the author reframes the approach to 'sin as a virtue' was really interesting, and there were a number of thought-provoking concepts throughout. It was quite long (longer than it needed to be) and it's an odd sort of blend between information & memoir that didn't always work for me. The author also mentions a lot of quite 'woo-woo' type stuff (somewhat derogatory, I know, but I can't think of a better way to say it) in a way that I found a bit jarring. She is also a quite unspecific about her career (she talks a lot about the devastation of losing it, but never what it is), and it wasn't until after I finished the book that I learned she'd been Chief Content Officer at Gwyneth Paltrow's goop, which is... not my favorite thing to have learned, and I must admit, has somewhat (negatively) colored by perception of the author, which is perhaps unfair, but I'd also say that goop has toed the line with dangerous misinformation, so....
In the end, though, I thought this was interesting, and I got something out of it....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: SOMALIA === Stretching the rules a smidge with this one, as it actually doesn't take place in Somalia, but rather a Around the World Reading Challenge: SOMALIA === Stretching the rules a smidge with this one, as it actually doesn't take place in Somalia, but rather a refugee camp in Kenya, but there was obvious a big Somalian presence here. This autobioagraphic story is told by Omar, who recounts his childhood lived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, and is beautifully illustrated. This story is full of love and hope and heartbreak, and was profoundly moving. It touches on issues of ableism (Omar's younger brother, Hassan, is mute, and suffers from seizures and developmental disability), sexism and misogyny (Omar's female peers are not afforded the same opportunities he is), and other topics like grief, education, poverty and hunger, immigration, and parental loss. It's really beautifully done and made for a very powerful story. Absolutely recommend...more
Listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job--she really captured the essence of Britney. It's a quick read, and definitely mListened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a great job--she really captured the essence of Britney. It's a quick read, and definitely more of an overview, but I thought it was compelling and great to hear her speak about her life. There were a number of moments I vaguely remember seeing of her in the media when I was growing up, and it was really interesting to hear how it was for her to experience them....more
Loved the writing style, the content was smart and approachable, and the intersectionality here is super important. I appreciated the author pulling fLoved the writing style, the content was smart and approachable, and the intersectionality here is super important. I appreciated the author pulling from their own experience, and I thought one of the strongest chapters was the one on religion, as that is often not a topic covered in other books I've read in fat liberation. I did feel sometimes the narrative didn't entirely feel cohesive to me, and I think this was a bit more of a memoir than I'd been expecting--I think (for me) this may have worked better if it either leaned harder into the memoir aspect, or if it did so less and instead called on excerpts/experiences from more fat Black women and non-men. She does so occasionally, but usually quite briefly. Still, a relatively minor quibble and I thought this was a really good and informative read....more
Really interesting book. Part memoir, part essays discussing life and affluence and capitalism. Thought provoking, and I enjoyed it overall, though I Really interesting book. Part memoir, part essays discussing life and affluence and capitalism. Thought provoking, and I enjoyed it overall, though I don't know that there was so much a central thesis. Mostly just ruminations, which worked for me but I can see how it wouldn't for everybody....more
I thought this was a really well-written (and read!) memoir. I listened to it on audio and I thought she did a really great job. I was too old for iCaI thought this was a really well-written (and read!) memoir. I listened to it on audio and I thought she did a really great job. I was too old for iCarly and had absolutely no idea who Jennette McCurdy was prior to this memoir, so I lacked the sense of personal connection I usually have when I read a memoir, but it still worked for me. The writing style is really effective, as are the short chapters, and there was a naked honestly to the narrative that somehow never managed to feel too intense or graphic. I do wish we'd gotten a little more detail and fleshing out of Jennette's later years, particularly one she really got into recovery, but in my experience it's not uncommon for these kinds of memoirs to be a little more sparse on the details when it comes to their more recent experiences. Definitely one I'd recommend, though there are a lot of TW here, so tread carefully....more
Somewhat conflicted on this one. It's an interesting hybrid of memoir and biography, with some science thrown in. In the end, though, I'm not totally Somewhat conflicted on this one. It's an interesting hybrid of memoir and biography, with some science thrown in. In the end, though, I'm not totally sure it was totally successful in any of those avenues. The memoir aspect was uneven, the science sparse, and the choice of David Starr Jordan as the focus of the biography was somewhat strange to me. I was completely unfamiliar with him, and what ended up being revealed was really at odds with how the summary of this book is framed--intentional, I'm sure, for the surprise factor, but I'm not actually super keen to be surprised by a murderous eugenics proponent... I do appreciate the way that is addressed and reckoned with in the narrative, and I can understand from a literary perspective how the ~twist~ is more twisty if you don't see it coming, but this isn't a novel, and his beliefs were supremely fucked up and led to real and serious harm, and something about the tone and approach for the early parts of the book felt a little off to me in retrospect....more
I absolutely loved this one! I thought the concept was super fascinating, the beautifully seamless blend of science & sea creatures with a memoir-stylI absolutely loved this one! I thought the concept was super fascinating, the beautifully seamless blend of science & sea creatures with a memoir-style recounting of the author's life. The sea creatures here were really interesting and informative, and the comparisons the author draws to their own life were really beautiful and poignant. Really great writing, and just a really powerful book overall. The connection between the strange and beautiful unknown of the sea and the creatures that inhabit it, and life as a queer, trans, person of color were gorgeously made, and this is definitely a book that will stay with me. Highly recommend!...more
Absolutely gorgeous and poignant memoir on love and grief, two sides of the same coin. The writing was lovely, the emotions powerful, and this was jusAbsolutely gorgeous and poignant memoir on love and grief, two sides of the same coin. The writing was lovely, the emotions powerful, and this was just a really moving work. Can't recommend it enough....more
An impressive memoir, and incredibly readable despite its length. I did find myself wanting more and more details and specifics, particu4.5 rounded up
An impressive memoir, and incredibly readable despite its length. I did find myself wanting more and more details and specifics, particularly of his later life and everything that happened post-split from Elijah Muhammad, though I can understand that it would have made the book far too long, and given everything happening at the time, wouldn't have necessarily been possible or practical. Very glad to have read it, and would definitely recommend....more
Around the World Reading Challenge: SIERRA LEONE === 3.5 rounded up
I deeply admire the author and his courage, and I appreciated this first hand accountAround the World Reading Challenge: SIERRA LEONE === 3.5 rounded up
I deeply admire the author and his courage, and I appreciated this first hand account of his perspective during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Something about this book felt unfinished, however, and not just because it just sort of ends without any sense of conclusion. I can appreciate that the somewhat non-linear, vignette-style storytelling is likely due to both his young age at the time of many of these events and the trauma he sustained, but while I felt sometimes it was quite effective, others it was unclear and felt a little more like a first draft than a cohesive narrative. Glad to have read it, but it didn't hit quite as deeply as I'd expected....more
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