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justinlife's reviews
890 reviews
Fall for Him by Andie Burke
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
North Woods by Daniel Mason
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Us by Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
White gay history written by a white gay man.
It's not bad, in fact, it's very informative, but I'm also a white gay man so my perspective is limited. There's a lot to be learned from the pre-stonewall era of the gay liberation movement. This book mainly follows Frank Kameny, who some refer to as the grandfather of the gay rights movement, in his quest for equal protections and organizing to obtain that.
Cervini paints a picture of 40s-60s that needs to be shown and understood. He provides a path to understanding the different approaches from gay men and lesbians. He shows the extent that respectability politics can get you.
The book is thorough and mostly enjoyable. It's fascinating in these times to read how bad our government has been and how invasive we can be. It was strangely reassuring. Secret police? Firing from government positions for little reason? spying on organizations? Yeah... we did that. A lot of Americans like to look outside of the country for comparisons to the current climate when we really just have to look at our own history.
The book does lack color, it lacks queer minority perspectives. Not that I blame the author completely. I just don't know how much overlap and intersectionality was available at the time. There are some black people who he does mention but it's not much.
Overall, though, it's a really good history about a period of time where sexuality was shifting to identity instead of history.
It's not bad, in fact, it's very informative, but I'm also a white gay man so my perspective is limited. There's a lot to be learned from the pre-stonewall era of the gay liberation movement. This book mainly follows Frank Kameny, who some refer to as the grandfather of the gay rights movement, in his quest for equal protections and organizing to obtain that.
Cervini paints a picture of 40s-60s that needs to be shown and understood. He provides a path to understanding the different approaches from gay men and lesbians. He shows the extent that respectability politics can get you.
The book is thorough and mostly enjoyable. It's fascinating in these times to read how bad our government has been and how invasive we can be. It was strangely reassuring. Secret police? Firing from government positions for little reason? spying on organizations? Yeah... we did that. A lot of Americans like to look outside of the country for comparisons to the current climate when we really just have to look at our own history.
The book does lack color, it lacks queer minority perspectives. Not that I blame the author completely. I just don't know how much overlap and intersectionality was available at the time. There are some black people who he does mention but it's not much.
Overall, though, it's a really good history about a period of time where sexuality was shifting to identity instead of history.
Young Men in Love by Joe Glass, Matt Miner
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Sometimes ordinary is lovely.
Here is a collection of vignettes in graphic novel form that shows young men in love. I mean, it's right there in the title. What I appreciated about this was that it was romantic love, but it's also friendship. It's was different types in different settings from the ordinary couple on the couch to the pirate adventures.
Another thing I appreciated was that there were all types of guys here from sizes to colors, it felt very inclusive. In today's times with the war on DEI, a book like this is a reminder why it's important to build a big table have space for those stories. It's a lot of fun and worth reading.
Here is a collection of vignettes in graphic novel form that shows young men in love. I mean, it's right there in the title. What I appreciated about this was that it was romantic love, but it's also friendship. It's was different types in different settings from the ordinary couple on the couch to the pirate adventures.
Another thing I appreciated was that there were all types of guys here from sizes to colors, it felt very inclusive. In today's times with the war on DEI, a book like this is a reminder why it's important to build a big table have space for those stories. It's a lot of fun and worth reading.
Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This book is incredible.
Ferrer makes history come alive in a "no stone unturned" history of Cuba. I'm not gonna lie, it's a lot. The font size feels rude and might need a magnifying glass to read. The audiobook, though- Superb!
What we see here is the history of the island with the resources we have available. Spain really should get more shit for what they did in the Americas. There wasn't as much precolonial history but that, I'm sure, is due to Spain. We see how often the United States intervened and how at almost every turn, they made the worst possible decision. History is hindsight so they didn't know, but damn, damn, damn.
Ferrer isn't easy on anyone. Her point of view is clear and what she writes is important. She lays the groundwork down for how the history unfolds. You can see how Fidel came into power, how Batista did. You can see U.S. meddling and the problems with it. You can see the pain and heartache caused by the slave owners, colonial powers, and dictators.
She is very thorough but it never felt overwhelming or boring. She kept it interesting.
I think this is a must read for history lovers.
Ferrer makes history come alive in a "no stone unturned" history of Cuba. I'm not gonna lie, it's a lot. The font size feels rude and might need a magnifying glass to read. The audiobook, though- Superb!
What we see here is the history of the island with the resources we have available. Spain really should get more shit for what they did in the Americas. There wasn't as much precolonial history but that, I'm sure, is due to Spain. We see how often the United States intervened and how at almost every turn, they made the worst possible decision. History is hindsight so they didn't know, but damn, damn, damn.
Ferrer isn't easy on anyone. Her point of view is clear and what she writes is important. She lays the groundwork down for how the history unfolds. You can see how Fidel came into power, how Batista did. You can see U.S. meddling and the problems with it. You can see the pain and heartache caused by the slave owners, colonial powers, and dictators.
She is very thorough but it never felt overwhelming or boring. She kept it interesting.
I think this is a must read for history lovers.
Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
This was a cute, cozy conclusion to this web series. A book about a perky figure skater turned hockey player who likes to bake, finds love and friendship, and enjoys their life is the perfect escape for these times. Yes, he's adorable, but he's also just trying to get by and that might mean not having the best communication with his family. He still has his struggles but it's very very low stakes.
It's a bit over the top, but honestly, that's what makes it fun. It's wish fulfillment. Glad this group of friends is happy and thriving.
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's a bit over the top, but honestly, that's what makes it fun. It's wish fulfillment. Glad this group of friends is happy and thriving.
Red Tarot: A Decolonial Guide to Divinatory Literacy by Christopher Marmolejo
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This book was a lot, I'm not gonna lie. It's thick and leans more academic in tone than I expected. That being said, there's a lot of great lessons to be learned here, even you're not the intended audience.
Using Tarot as a base and showing how it can work in these times and how it can inform not only your practice but your point of view will only add depth to your readings and your perspective about society.
I'm not sure if this is a book that needs to be read straight through or used a resource. It can go either way. There are a lot of ten cent words here, which... love, but distracted me from the point a couple of times.
Overall, I'd recommend taking time with each card and feeling it and moving on. Take this slow and steady
Using Tarot as a base and showing how it can work in these times and how it can inform not only your practice but your point of view will only add depth to your readings and your perspective about society.
I'm not sure if this is a book that needs to be read straight through or used a resource. It can go either way. There are a lot of ten cent words here, which... love, but distracted me from the point a couple of times.
Overall, I'd recommend taking time with each card and feeling it and moving on. Take this slow and steady
Him by Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this book. Written in 2015, I felt that some of themes don’t hold up as well, mainly the conflicts revolving around homophobia and being outed. It feels like the genre has shifted out of that.
Still though, this book is camp. It’s cute. It’s fun. The authors write these thoughts that the men have in ways where I was like “what? That’s interesting”. Overall, it was a fun read.
Still though, this book is camp. It’s cute. It’s fun. The authors write these thoughts that the men have in ways where I was like “what? That’s interesting”. Overall, it was a fun read.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition) by Ramit Sethi
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
It’s not that this book isn’t good or doesn’t have good information. It’s just I don’t think the way the information was presented was for me. Maybe it was because this was the 10th anniversary and there were too many testimonials. Maybe it was his tone which at times could be read as playful and light while at other times felt mean.
The advice is solid and his approach is smart. If you’re under 40, I’d recommend giving it a shot. There’s a lot of good information and the last chapter around big purchases felt helpful. There’s a lot I liked about this. The author’s voice though made it difficult for me to want to finish. In a world where there thousands of financial books, this one stands tall and feels useful. Maybe not do the kindle one though.
The advice is solid and his approach is smart. If you’re under 40, I’d recommend giving it a shot. There’s a lot of good information and the last chapter around big purchases felt helpful. There’s a lot I liked about this. The author’s voice though made it difficult for me to want to finish. In a world where there thousands of financial books, this one stands tall and feels useful. Maybe not do the kindle one though.