baguettekelly's reviews
229 reviews

I appreciate that this book has a sci fi premise but is not sci fi - it very much focuses on the human element of hypothetical time travel.  The writing is beautiful and compelling.  I wish the twist was……twistier?  The story would’ve been just as good without it.

Not the best thing ever, but surprisingly well written.  Gives some juicy insider tidbits about both Mormonism and reality TV.  I listened to the audiobook (sometimes you want to watch housewives but need to be on the go) and I thought Heather was a great reader.  I do not think she exploited Whitney’s vagina.

Really great atmospheric novel.  Not so much about a plot, but certainly about generational trauma, codependency, and not knowing what to do with yourself.

Instead of being an ignorant Colleen Hoover hater I am now an educated Colleen Hoover hater.  This book reads like it was written by a horny teenager with no understanding of subtext.  The flimsy self-insert main character needs a female friend and a job that doesn’t involve words.  The twist is visible from space.  I am glad that books are going viral on TikTok and people are reading, no matter what they read, but they’re crazy for this one.

In the wake of the 2024 election, I, like many other mollycoddled urban white feminists, was deeply dispirited with how my demographic bloc had voted.  As Darby reiterates throughout this book, white women are an easily-overlooked bastion of the alt-right, and I and many other leftist white women have done exactly that.  The presence of white women in hate movements is something we cannot afford to ignore, and Sisters in Hate is an important document of their influence.

Thoroughly reported and engaging, with exactly the right levels of empathy (some) and sympathy (very little) for its subjects.  

It would be easy enough to write an “Instagram bad” book, but this one goes deeper, exploring what havoc the economy of image might wreak on our current influencers in the not so distant future.  Some of its points are a bit obvious, but Anna’s overarching longing to return to a simpler version of herself is compelling.  I ended up liking this more than I expected to at the start.

RIP Violet you would’ve loved Irina Sturges

Actually though, this book is an interesting companion to Boy Parts.  I read a lot of fairly nasty fiction and found myself especially unnerved by Clark’s first novel, only for Penance to hold a mirror to my desire to be unnerved.  It’s comes across somewhat introspective - an exploration of why the real author wants to write about the fictional author who wants to write about a horrific violent crime.  Recommend to anyone interested in exploring the emotions bound up in consuming horror and true crime.

This book succeeds a little too much at reading like a nonfiction crime book, and the pacing suffers as a result.  

This is a thought-provoking book on the place of digital media in literacy, and for a reader who is not an educator (me), a helpful jumping off point for considering one’s own relationship with screens.  I did go back to reading on my Kindle immediately upon finishing, but am a bit more mindful of binging TikToks and Substacks alike.  To quote literary icon RuPaul, reading is indeed fundamental, and the critical thinking processes that come with it are what keeps democratic society afloat.  It’s chilling to consider how much has unraveled, as this book predicts, as literacy continues to plummet.

It is (likely intentionally) dense and demanding, and after a while reiterates the same couple of points, but  still felt like a worthwhile read.  

Absolute banger slice of life novel

Sister Marya is a Catholic nun, but her words on spirituality and environmentalism reach far beyond the bounds of any one religion.  She has such curiosity and respect for the planet and its people.  The book can feel a bit disjointed at times, but it all comes together in the end to deliver a message I wish more Christian leaders were willing to hear.

This is a particularly great read for anyone lucky enough to know and love the American West.