creativerunnings's reviews
1270 reviews

In “Looking at Women, Looking at War”, writer-turned-war-reporter Victoria Amelina compiled a first-hand account of her crime documentation in the recent Russo-Ukrainian war. A morbid irony has it that her book was unfinished as she became a victim of the very war she researched, succumbing to the aftereffects of a missile that hit the restaurant she visited. 

Since her death, her oeuvre d’art has been edited meticulously to form a comprehensive collection of stories, some as mundane as the mourning of a farmer’s goats, others detailing the atrocities in horrific narration.

I found myself engrossed in the countless short vignettes Amelina included. The confusion the many names and locations brought on soon became secondary to the overarching theme of despair, of resilience, of her dedication to telling the truth. Who knows if the book would have achieved a more concise narrative arc had the author survived? But one thing is clear–the version honoring her draft provides an almost encyclopedic reference documenting the endless cruelty against Ukrainians–and this book format is an accomplishment perhaps even greater than the expected outcome. An end result to celebrate and disseminate widely, posthumously.

In gratitude to St. Martin’s Press for the Advance Reader’s Copy.

“Wild West Village–Not a Memoir”, contrary to its subtitle, is a celebrity memoir-in-essays with a twist. Actress and singer-songwriter Lola Kirke weaves together anecdotes from her eventful childhood in an eccentric rockstar family to her present-day life in an engaging and entertaining, almost weightless read.

I hadn’t really heard about the author before I received this review copy, but I certainly relate to her more now than I’d ever get to know any other celebrity stranger, celebrating her wins with her throughout her vulnerable book and rooting for her in the challenges she faces as she tries to find herself amid the chaos in her surroundings of addiction and affairs. 

Because of the humorous writing style, the book perhaps doesn’t go as deep as other memoirs do when it comes to the emotional gravity, but this might just be what a contemporary reader needs when the market is flooded with stories of the bared hearts and souls of our world.

Well done Lola Kirke! 

Out January 28, 2025

In gratitude to Simon & Schuster for the invitation to review this title.