booksoversecondbreakfast's reviews
74 reviews

I absolutely hated reading this book. It was so painful to read because it brought us close to the Gen's family, all while knowing of the holocaust awaiting them by the end of the book. And then, when the worst of it arises, it was so much more distressing to read and see illustrated than I could have expected.

I found a copy of the ebook and read it that way, I don't intend to reread it, but I do know that the horrific images from this book will stick with me forever, anytime my mind is drawn towards thoughts of WWII. I would never have read this if it were not for the 2024 Read Harder challenge, pushing me out of my comfort zone to read this genre for the first time. I don't know if I'd read it if I had a chance to go back in time and pick to read a different book.

The book's final page reads, "In the hope that humanity will never repeat the terrible tragedy of the atomic bombing, the volunteers of Project Gen want children and adults all over the world to hear Gen's story. Through translations like this one, we want to help Gen speak to people in different countries in their own languages. Our prayer is that Barefoot Gen will contribute in some small way to the abolition of nuclear weapons before this new century is over."

I did not like this book, but I can respect it for what it is and what it stands for. It shows the effects nuclear weapons have on humanity, and it shows that to teach others how horrific it is. I just didn't expect to feel so distraught by this book. In that way, it's somewhere between a 1-star book because of how strongly I disliked reading it and a 4.5-star book because of how effectively it achieves its goal. Thus, I picked a rating right in the middle.

I misplaced the book. 😭 I'll resume when I find it.

This is such an amazing & beautiful book, and I will recommend it to many of my friends and family members who've been discouraged by the news of yet another Trump era. This book encouraged me so much, showing me what a more disability-justice-focused world could look like. It inspired me to imagine the communities I can build today that help me live a better life as a disabled person and impact others around me. The book is filled with countless stories of disabled experiences and community building, especially during the peak of the painful COVID-19 era. It is also filled with footnotes that thoroughly provide sources and recommendations for future reading.

This book is wonderfully bold, tackling topics many might shy away from in mainstream discussions, and this is intentional. It showcases the loud, in-your-face 'crip joy' and 'crip advocacy' the author discusses, making their points even more impactful.

I listened to this as an audiobook from my library, but I definitely plan to buy my own copy to re-read and highlight. The audiobook was a great listen, but this would also make a college-level textbook. I fully intend to refer back to this book throughout my life, and I'm genuinely grateful to have had the chance to read it!

Another incredible read in the Binti trilogy. The world-building is so thoroughly imaginative and vivid, and I just love this series so much. I find it so easy to get immersed in Binti's world, so much so that I want to visit it myself.

Where the first book follows Binti's revolutionary act of peace and unity as she travels to and arrives at her new school, this book follows a newly transformed Binti's return home. From the book's onset, I knew that her return home would be challenging, but I could never have predicted just how difficult it would be for her and how much transformation she had left to undergo.

The cliffhanger ending felt well-paced, leaving me satisfied with Binti's growth by the end of the book but also frantically grasping for the next book. The middle of the book also felt a bit too slow, but I was eager to learn more about the world and hear more of Binti's story, so it didn't bother me much. Fortunately, I borrowed this book from my local library and had already picked up the third book in the trilogy, so I will be reading that immediately. After reading the first book, I knew I needed to purchase my own copy of the trilogy, but I feel that way even more now!

My only criticism is that I've probably taken too many mathematics courses to appreciate the math-based magic system. Lines like "thinking the soothing equation of f(x) = f(-x)" come off a bit cheesy because they're not thoroughly explained enough for my taste, but they don't appear very frequently. Plus, I'll admit I might be a bit too nitpicky. All in all, however, I really loved this book. Maybe it's not the perfect book for people nerdier about math than me, but this would be a fantastic series for just about anyone, sci-fi and non-sci-fi fans alike!

A wonderful classic fantasy tale, but too slow and not very ADHD-friendly.

As a lover of the LOTR movie franchise, I had such high hopes that I'd love this book as much as the movie, but it just didn't turn out that way for me. The whole story is so adventurous and mystical, and I love the hobbits, the Fellowship, and Smeagol so much, and the lore is so deep and well thought-out. But the book is just so long and slow.

Honestly, this was my first time finishing the book after starting it three different times over the past several years. It's just been so hard to get through the middle portion of the book. The only reason I was successful in finishing it this time was because I listened to the audiobook version (the narrator is AMAZING, by the way), which enabled me to multitask while listening. However, this story is still incredible, so I can't rate it too low.

I'll eventually plan on rereading this someday, maybe once my ability to focus is a bit stronger, or perhaps I'll read this as a bedtime story to my future kids. It's a classic and a great story. But it's just not for me, so I also can't rate this book too high.

All in all, this book might not be for you either if you're not someone who constantly reads high-fantasy, but it might be worth a shot if you are a LOTR movie fan and you listen to the audiobook version.

The book hooked me from the beginning, reminding me a bit of The Devil Wears Prada at first (though this vibe doesn't last long) and then making me ponder the mystery as to why Evelyn, an elderly Marilyn Monroe-era movie star, reached out to Monique, an early-career journalist, to finally share her long-awaited tragic and drama-filled life story. The mystery becomes slightly predictable towards the end of the book but pulls itself together in a heartbreaking revelation.

I enjoyed how the author positions us alongside Monique in the story. Like Monique, we are solely in Evelyn's hands as she reveals her story to us. Throughout her narrative, Evelyn continuously reminds Monique that she will let her down. As a result, Evelyn also indirectly prepares us, as the reader, to not trust her and to see her as somewhat of an unreliable narrator. This setup allows us to see how Monique applies what she learns to her life, and I liked that this enables the author to communicate the points she's trying to make in the story by showing how Monique processes the story herself. This was a clever literary technique, and it helped keep my interest in the story.

I definitely shed some (bittersweet) tears at the end of this book, not just due to the mystery's tragic revelation but also because this just hits hard in its depictions of biphobia. It shows how people make false assumptions about an aspect of bi women's identities wears on us over time. As a bisexual woman married to a man, I really appreciated the representation in this book, but I was kind of disappointed with the ending. The story also felt a bit like it was a queer character written by a straight woman, and when I looked up the author, I was not surprised to find out my assumption validated. In that sense, the book disappointed me a bit, but it tugged at my heartstrings anyway.

Another thing I didn't enjoy about the story was how the author drew a comparison between being biracial and being bisexual. I definitely didn't think that was an appropriate comparison for her to make as a white woman. There is also the fact that Evelyn is a Latina woman, and beyond the first several chapters, this aspect of her identity is almost entirely ignored throughout the rest of the book, which felt like a significant oversight. Additionally, Evelyn's character is so openly manipulative, and Monique's character was so clueless at times that it frustrated me. Still, I enjoyed this book overall, but these negatives ultimately affected my rating.

I feel conflicted about this book, but I'm glad I read it. It captured my interest throughout the whole story and felt very entertaining. Evelyn's life felt mysterious and intriguing, and I enjoyed uncovering her story alongside Monique. I read this book as an ebook I borrowed from my local library and will probably not reread it, but I am glad I gave this book a read once, and I can see why it is so popular.

"There are a thousand metaphors and all of them are inadequate" (page 16).

A thousand metaphors is indeed my impression of this book so far. I want to give this book more of a shot, but it is all just going over my head. I don't think I'm smart enough for this book, and I definitely don't know enough of the references in this book to keep following what's going on.

So, I'm DNFing it. It's not a bad book so far, but maybe I should try again reading this ten years from now when I've built up my literary muscles.

So much for this book felt healing for me. It voiced so many of my concerns that I've had navigating friendship in adulthood. It helped me to see just how fluid and flexible friendships can be, and it encouraged me to be more open-minded about having friendships that don't look like the friend groups I see on television. I also really appreciate that the author addressed some of the complexities and added confusion that navigating friendships as a bisexual woman can come with. As a bi woman, I don't find many books that speak to friendship in that sort of way, so I was really grateful for this one.

On the flip side, I felt like the book really dragged on and felt like long-winded rambles at times (such as the story about Rosemary). I borrowed this book as an audiobook and might check it out again some day to reference it, but probably not. I'm still glad I read it, however. I think it's a good book for those needing some validation about friendships being hard. For anyone looking for a book full of instructions on friendships, however, this might not be what you're looking for, so keep that end mind when considering picking up this book.

Found it too boring. I was reading via an audiobook and it was really difficult to distinguish who was talking. Maybe I'll try again some day.