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sara_m_martins's reviews
329 reviews
A History of Art in 21 Cats by Nia Gould
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
great light-hearted introduction to well-known art movements
I'd Rather Be Reading by Guinevere De La Mare
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
skimmed on scribd. would not bother buying it
We Are Totally Normal by Naomi Kanakia
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
a messy, sometimes uncomfortable, portrayal of queerness and figuring yourself out.
sad to see that many of the low ratings come from this being "problematic" - when it just isn't your clean-cut, friendly-easy-read queer story. "we are totally normal" represents (some of) the horrible, messy, confusing, closed-circle-thought-trains bits and parts of figuring yourself out admist internalized homophobia.
there's a lot of conversations about broadening what type of queer stories get told and this is one of those messy queer stories that should be out there.
the first few chapters have weird pacing, but as the author set up the scene to explore the book's themes, i think it got better
sad to see that many of the low ratings come from this being "problematic" - when it just isn't your clean-cut, friendly-easy-read queer story. "we are totally normal" represents (some of) the horrible, messy, confusing, closed-circle-thought-trains bits and parts of figuring yourself out admist internalized homophobia.
there's a lot of conversations about broadening what type of queer stories get told and this is one of those messy queer stories that should be out there.
the first few chapters have weird pacing, but as the author set up the scene to explore the book's themes, i think it got better
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content
f slur said (by queer character), minors using alcohol and drugs, internalized homophobia
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.
i'm terribly sorry, janey, but i simply could not do it
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Sami and I emerge from the bathroom at dawn, just as Teta is fixing herself a cup of tea and settling into her easy chair. She motions me over, and I pull away from Sami and come.
“You remind me of someone I used to know.” Teta runs her hands over my fade and through the short curls on top.
I bow my head under her hands. “I couldn’t do it anymore, Teta.”
“My storm of the storms.” She tips the top of my head toward her and kisses it. “You never had to try.”
You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
I can always trust Button Poetry to publish incredible collections and this one is no different!
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it.
when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,
I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)
aren't there.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it.
when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,
I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)
aren't there.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Transphobia
Bi: Bisexual, Pansexual, Fluid, and Genderqueer Youth by Ritch C. Savin-Williams
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.25
i was very disappointed in this... had big hopes for it
I think this book would work okay as a reference (for someone in the field study). Even if you’re interested in the subject I’m not sure I would recommend it – but there isn’t much more out there… I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point if you’ve never read about lgbtq+ concepts/theory/etc – you need to have basis as things get complicated here.
Positives:
-This book pools data from many sources, both in reference and in the interviews done by the author, so it could be a good reference point for people working/studying in the area.
-i wasn't a big fan of the interviews: it was interesting to see different perspectives but, on the other hand, very little of what i read felt representative of the messages that the bi+ community wants to communicate. I understand this might not have been the objective, but with this title, I believe most people will pick it up searching for that.
-This book pools data from many sources, both in reference and in the interviews done by the author, so it could be a good reference point for people working/studying in the area.
-i wasn't a big fan of the interviews: it was interesting to see different perspectives but, on the other hand, very little of what i read felt representative of the messages that the bi+ community wants to communicate. I understand this might not have been the objective, but with this title, I believe most people will pick it up searching for that.
Negatives:
Most negatives are things that stand out in a 2021 release, that is about a subset of the queer community, by an ownvoices author...
- worst negative: wrong definitions!! most obviously the definition of bisexuality (!) – it is attraction to more than one gender! Why would you get that wrong in a book titled bi?? (Also conflating gender identities with sexual orientations at times)
- maybe sources are to blame, but there was a big emphasis on sex (rather than gender). the writing oftentimes felt insensitive regarding sex/gender, to the point where i wondered if the text was trans-exclusionary. however, there was a good amount of discussion of non-binary people, which was very much appreciated.
- felt bizarre to read that only asexual people use -romantic labels. This simply isn’t true, from experience. Adds to the “listen to young people more” narrative though.
- the text read extremely academic.
Most negatives are things that stand out in a 2021 release, that is about a subset of the queer community, by an ownvoices author...
- worst negative: wrong definitions!! most obviously the definition of bisexuality (!) – it is attraction to more than one gender! Why would you get that wrong in a book titled bi?? (Also conflating gender identities with sexual orientations at times)
- maybe sources are to blame, but there was a big emphasis on sex (rather than gender). the writing oftentimes felt insensitive regarding sex/gender, to the point where i wondered if the text was trans-exclusionary. however, there was a good amount of discussion of non-binary people, which was very much appreciated.
- felt bizarre to read that only asexual people use -romantic labels. This simply isn’t true, from experience. Adds to the “listen to young people more” narrative though.
- the text read extremely academic.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.