molly_dettmann's reviews
1873 reviews

Adorable and would make a fun readaloud to act out a bit!

I love everything about this book with my whole heart and now want to go binge watch every rom com to capture the feeling this book gave me while I read it. Absolutely enjoyable, heartfelt, sweet, and I need a movie ASAP. 

This was a great read about the court case Juliana v. United States that was filed in 2015 by 21 youths that argued that the US government had violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property as well as failed to protect public grounds (including the atmosphere) from the harms of climate change. They were backed by lawyers from Our Children’s Trust. The bravery and passion of these young people is truly inspiring and it was so hard reading how legal hoops, the oil industry, politicians from both sides, and climate deniers tried to squash their dreams for a livable Earth. The extreme weather and damages to their homes and health were especially hard to read knowing not a lot has been done to help mitigate the effects of climate change. This is an incredible book about activism big and small and while the case has been dismissed the 21 are still fighting. 

"We cannot push society toward more positive, inclusive, sustainable directions without LOVE as the main driver of activism. Because you cannot burn out of love.” -Kelsey Juliana

Never thought I’d find a book about muscles to be so entertaining and informative but this one was a fantastic read. The first half was more about the biology of muscles and movement but then there were some interesting parts about how muscles play into art, fitness culture, and even some practical health advice and info. This was also a quick read at just over 200 pages. Highly recommend!

This is a memoir under a pen name of a woman who in her adult life develops an extreme photosensitivity chronic illness that slowly goes from being unable to sit in front of a computer light to needing to be in complete darkness just to survive the extreme pain light gives her skin. She’s in Great Britain so there’s some UK colloquialisms, plus it reads like a well read British woman wrote it. It’s a short read but with that tone sometimes read slow and the more detailed passages were tedious to read. The most interesting parts were details of her illness as she uncovered them. Her relationship with Pete was very sweet. Her relationship with others is explored and this did help me empathize with those with chronic illness and how painful the illness and strained relationships can be. 

This line got me:
“Friendship plants itself as a small unobtrusive seed; over time, it grows thick roots that wrap around your heart. When a love affair ends, the tree is torn out quickly, the operation painful but clean. Friendship withers quietly, there is always hope of revival. Only after time has passed do you recognize that it is dead, and you are left, for years afterwards, pulling dry brown fibres from your chest.”

This was a gut-wrenching story of a justice system and corrupt men that failed so many children. The documentary is referenced a lot and makes me want to watch that too. 

If I hadn’t read James first I don’t know if I would’ve fully appreciated what Twain was trying to do with the themes of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The stream on consciousness of Huck as the narrator and the vernacular of almost the characters definitely made it a little harder of a read to fully grasp, but with poignant moments of humanity, empathy, and the overall story of young boy really understanding his place and the place of others in this world (whether their placement was deserving or not), I can say this is a classic tor a reason.

For what this was, it was a solid read. This is a quick pick about a raging flood and a boy trying to save his foster brother while also giving insight to his life in the foster system and living with ADHD while his foster brother has that and FAS. It ends very abruptly and could’ve used at least another 20 pages to be a fully fleshed out story though. 

Wow, this graphic memoir from Corey Egbert about how his mom was a very devote Mormon with (later diagnosed) schizophrenia and after divorcing his dad and accusing the dad of molesting Corey’s sister, she skips a visitation and kidnapped her children and hid for a month in the desert in Nevada trying to “save” them from Corey’s father. This has got some fantastical elements but it’s a really incredible story of not only dealing with all of that, but how the author came to hold his own faith and beliefs separate from his mom’s delusions and harmful rhetoric. The artwork and panels are simple, with a blue and pinkish orange color palette that I liked the look of a lot. This book felt like if Hey Kiddo and Flamer had a brother. 

This was cute and funny. The different animals could make fun voices and things.