Scan barcode
willowbiblio's reviews
485 reviews
Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
“There’s so much more, but really it all begins with a willingness to *see* women as human beings worthy of thriving. The problems women and girls face need to be seen as *human* issues that everyone takes responsibility for changing.”
—————-
This was a gift from my mom’s wife, an Ironman and fellow runner ☺️ This was such a good and real book. I love to run and, as very much a non-professional, also suffer from feeling out of touch with my body and like I don’t belong in this sport because of my appearance. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that elite athletes are challenged by this as well.
What was most surprising to me was just how many female runners and athletes are struggling with the same problem. Fleshman‘s point is this volume of harm and struggle isn’t being addressed precisely because they are considered “women’s problems“.
I appreciated learning more about the impact of puberty and the way it can change our performance physically.
I really enjoyed going on the journey with Fleshman of how she began to heal her relationship with food, her body, and even running itself. Reading about her determination to keep working and trying despite major setbacks was so inspiring. And I really loved the insight into payscales and ad campaigns in the professional world as it takes calling it out to begin the process of change.
Loved the pacing and Fleshman’s very clear voice!
—————-
This was a gift from my mom’s wife, an Ironman and fellow runner ☺️ This was such a good and real book. I love to run and, as very much a non-professional, also suffer from feeling out of touch with my body and like I don’t belong in this sport because of my appearance. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that elite athletes are challenged by this as well.
What was most surprising to me was just how many female runners and athletes are struggling with the same problem. Fleshman‘s point is this volume of harm and struggle isn’t being addressed precisely because they are considered “women’s problems“.
I appreciated learning more about the impact of puberty and the way it can change our performance physically.
I really enjoyed going on the journey with Fleshman of how she began to heal her relationship with food, her body, and even running itself. Reading about her determination to keep working and trying despite major setbacks was so inspiring. And I really loved the insight into payscales and ad campaigns in the professional world as it takes calling it out to begin the process of change.
Loved the pacing and Fleshman’s very clear voice!
Hey, Zoey by Sarah Crossan
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“She went back to her reading, her shoulders curled towards her ears. I had always known.”
——————
The subject matter of this book was especially challenging for me as it’s an experience I know all too well, and Crossan captured the myriad long-term impacts CSA has well.
I liked the use of chronology jumps to fill in Dolores’ history. As a character, she is incredibly disengaged from her emotions in a way that feels quite real. Several times it felt like Crossan was about to take her over edge into her own predatory acts. I was relieved when she didn’t.
I expected Zoey to play a much more active role in the story. Even to tease that the relationship between Zoey and Dolores is pivotal feels a bit inaccurate. At best, she served as a mirror for Dolores’ emotional unveiling, but even that was brought on more by the dissolution of her marriage and her sister’s struggles.
Crossan captured the complexity of feeling stuck in a dynamic with someone who harmed you, but is also family. I felt that this book was a kind of awakening for Dolores. In some ways it made me hopeful, and others just deeply saddened.
——————
The subject matter of this book was especially challenging for me as it’s an experience I know all too well, and Crossan captured the myriad long-term impacts CSA has well.
I liked the use of chronology jumps to fill in Dolores’ history. As a character, she is incredibly disengaged from her emotions in a way that feels quite real. Several times it felt like Crossan was about to take her over edge into her own predatory acts. I was relieved when she didn’t.
I expected Zoey to play a much more active role in the story. Even to tease that the relationship between Zoey and Dolores is pivotal feels a bit inaccurate. At best, she served as a mirror for Dolores’ emotional unveiling, but even that was brought on more by the dissolution of her marriage and her sister’s struggles.
Crossan captured the complexity of feeling stuck in a dynamic with someone who harmed you, but is also family. I felt that this book was a kind of awakening for Dolores. In some ways it made me hopeful, and others just deeply saddened.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“But anger wasn’t available to them, and there was no face to put on this Other Thing that they held in their sticky Other Hands, like an imaginary orange. There was nowhere to lay it down. It wasn’t theirs to give away. It would have to be held. Carefully and forever.”
——————-
This was our September Reading Is Subjective club book! It was an incredibly challenging book, for so many reasons: the subject matter, the time skips, the number of characters, and circling the plot.
I really didn’t understand the idea of Untouchables reading this book, it was such poignant imagery to think about a child holding something in the palm of his hand so people wouldn’t have to touch him.
I found Estha to be a deeply, sympathetic character, and his connection to Rahel was beautiful (even if it got a little odd at the end). These characters were so intriguing to me, and their own personal histories and motivations were really well established by Roy.
I enjoyed the section about the storytellers and sacrifices they had to make of their ideals in order to survive, it felt so raw and real. I also loved Roy’s description of the slovenly/dirty house compared to Estha’s meticulously clean room. It conveyed so clearly how they were dealing with their demons and very different ways.
I think it’s interesting to consider how one day can impact so many lives in such a permanent way. This was a great book and I really enjoyed seeing other peoples thoughts in the book club. 🥰
——————-
This was our September Reading Is Subjective club book! It was an incredibly challenging book, for so many reasons: the subject matter, the time skips, the number of characters, and circling the plot.
I really didn’t understand the idea of Untouchables reading this book, it was such poignant imagery to think about a child holding something in the palm of his hand so people wouldn’t have to touch him.
I found Estha to be a deeply, sympathetic character, and his connection to Rahel was beautiful (even if it got a little odd at the end). These characters were so intriguing to me, and their own personal histories and motivations were really well established by Roy.
I enjoyed the section about the storytellers and sacrifices they had to make of their ideals in order to survive, it felt so raw and real. I also loved Roy’s description of the slovenly/dirty house compared to Estha’s meticulously clean room. It conveyed so clearly how they were dealing with their demons and very different ways.
I think it’s interesting to consider how one day can impact so many lives in such a permanent way. This was a great book and I really enjoyed seeing other peoples thoughts in the book club. 🥰
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
“That’s the problem right now. People think they’re only responsible for people exactly like them. I don’t feel that way.”
————————-
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this book, which I think was a good thing. I learned a lot about Puerto Rico‘s history of oppression, but at times this felt much too info-dumpy for a fiction novel. I think it was also paced just a tad too slow for my taste.
I loved the growth and progression that Olga and other characters experienced. The way Olga strove for something that was meaningless to her was so interesting. I enjoyed the structure of the novel and how the letters from their mother correlated to key plot points in the present and moments in their histories. I also loved how Gonzalez was playing with the idea of perceived reality and intent.
There was a little too much insight into character thoughts and not enough showing (too much telling). I think I also struggled with some of the dialogue, it didn’t quite match the characters ages or emotions at times. It was an unsettling mix of clunky dialogue, and very intense subject matter.
For a debut novel, this was a great start and I really look forward to seeing how Gonzalez develops in her next work.
————————-
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this book, which I think was a good thing. I learned a lot about Puerto Rico‘s history of oppression, but at times this felt much too info-dumpy for a fiction novel. I think it was also paced just a tad too slow for my taste.
I loved the growth and progression that Olga and other characters experienced. The way Olga strove for something that was meaningless to her was so interesting. I enjoyed the structure of the novel and how the letters from their mother correlated to key plot points in the present and moments in their histories. I also loved how Gonzalez was playing with the idea of perceived reality and intent.
There was a little too much insight into character thoughts and not enough showing (too much telling). I think I also struggled with some of the dialogue, it didn’t quite match the characters ages or emotions at times. It was an unsettling mix of clunky dialogue, and very intense subject matter.
For a debut novel, this was a great start and I really look forward to seeing how Gonzalez develops in her next work.
A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“When I am in need of recognition, I usually just turn to books, where words, now immobile, are safe and private, inviting a different sort of intimacy.”
————————
I like that we almost immediately know that Naomi is a little bit crazy, and the body of the novel corrects the assumption about why. This cover honestly made me totally underestimate this book – it’s way more serious and well written than I had assumed.
There are a few quite extreme and devastating traumas that have formed Naomi, and Barasch wrote them so well. I liked the parallel between the story Naomi was writing and the one I was reading and how closely Barasch treaded to breaking the 4th wall. There were a few moments where Naomi’s voice was clearly the author’s thoughts.
Barasch created a really interesting dynamic of questioning how much Rosemary knew and if she was just playing out the story to see where it went between them. I liked that Caleb served less as a full person and more as a vehicle for learning more about Naomi and creating the link between Rosemary and Naomi. Not hyperfixating on their relationship but rather who Naomi was in the relationship was really powerful.
I wasn’t expecting to be as moved by this book or its conclusion, but I found it to be beautiful and immensely heartbreaking, and a little bit hopeful.
————————
I like that we almost immediately know that Naomi is a little bit crazy, and the body of the novel corrects the assumption about why. This cover honestly made me totally underestimate this book – it’s way more serious and well written than I had assumed.
There are a few quite extreme and devastating traumas that have formed Naomi, and Barasch wrote them so well. I liked the parallel between the story Naomi was writing and the one I was reading and how closely Barasch treaded to breaking the 4th wall. There were a few moments where Naomi’s voice was clearly the author’s thoughts.
Barasch created a really interesting dynamic of questioning how much Rosemary knew and if she was just playing out the story to see where it went between them. I liked that Caleb served less as a full person and more as a vehicle for learning more about Naomi and creating the link between Rosemary and Naomi. Not hyperfixating on their relationship but rather who Naomi was in the relationship was really powerful.
I wasn’t expecting to be as moved by this book or its conclusion, but I found it to be beautiful and immensely heartbreaking, and a little bit hopeful.
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
“A lie well told, often enough told, began to eat one’s memory. And overtime it became harder to say where the fiction ended and the truth began. And maybe if you lied long enough, you became a lie. A walking, talking lie.”
————————
My first impression was how funny this book was, the undercurrent of dark and ironic humor that maintained presence throughout Senna’s words.
Jane was both unlikable and sympathetic, and I found that quite complex to reconcile. She was deeply shallow and driven by this need to acquire a life that looked perfect but that came from a sad and understandable place. Senna did an excellent job maintaining a constant undercurrent of tension- would she get caught and when? And how bad would it be? Those questions really propelled me through the story.
The story about Finn and the deer had such a vast to the surface was simple and innocent. The Kardashian kid party felt like a scene out of Fear & Loathing – it was weird, zany, hilarious, and full of critique. I liked how this ended and how Jane and Lenny’s relationship evolved.
I was also really intrigued by some of the questions Senna was asking herself and the reader. Who gets to tell a story about a specific group and when is it inappropriate or selling out? What makes a good life? What would be good enough for me? What does success look like to me? Really thought-provoking. A great read.
————————
My first impression was how funny this book was, the undercurrent of dark and ironic humor that maintained presence throughout Senna’s words.
Jane was both unlikable and sympathetic, and I found that quite complex to reconcile. She was deeply shallow and driven by this need to acquire a life that looked perfect but that came from a sad and understandable place. Senna did an excellent job maintaining a constant undercurrent of tension- would she get caught and when? And how bad would it be? Those questions really propelled me through the story.
The story about Finn and the deer had such a vast to the surface was simple and innocent. The Kardashian kid party felt like a scene out of Fear & Loathing – it was weird, zany, hilarious, and full of critique. I liked how this ended and how Jane and Lenny’s relationship evolved.
I was also really intrigued by some of the questions Senna was asking herself and the reader. Who gets to tell a story about a specific group and when is it inappropriate or selling out? What makes a good life? What would be good enough for me? What does success look like to me? Really thought-provoking. A great read.
The Unspoken Truths for Career Success: Navigating Pay, Promotions, and Politics at Work by Tessa White
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
“Whether you are willing to give more to get more it’s up to you. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, not advocating for yourself will extract the biggest cost to your career.”
—————————-
I’ll say with full transparency that I approached this book thinking it would be another book that repeated the same few tired old lines of self-help jargon without actually helping. This was on the complete other end of that spectrum.
White gave extremely clear and practical suggestions and actions for people at all levels to use. She broke down the corporate culture into its simplest parts, and helped to take the emotion out of topics that are often quite charged: pay, promotions, and culture.
I loved how useful the take home “assignments” were and actually implemented some myself. I appreciated her focus on driving career conversations based on impact rather than desire/deserving as, to her point, impact is what ultimately matters to an organization. I asked some of the questions suggested for career development to my manager and got excellent actionable answers.
This is a very useful book that I will plan to revisit, as I am working on my own career trajectory. I was really impressed with the intuitive structure of the chapters and content contained within. A truly pleasant surprise!
—————————-
I’ll say with full transparency that I approached this book thinking it would be another book that repeated the same few tired old lines of self-help jargon without actually helping. This was on the complete other end of that spectrum.
White gave extremely clear and practical suggestions and actions for people at all levels to use. She broke down the corporate culture into its simplest parts, and helped to take the emotion out of topics that are often quite charged: pay, promotions, and culture.
I loved how useful the take home “assignments” were and actually implemented some myself. I appreciated her focus on driving career conversations based on impact rather than desire/deserving as, to her point, impact is what ultimately matters to an organization. I asked some of the questions suggested for career development to my manager and got excellent actionable answers.
This is a very useful book that I will plan to revisit, as I am working on my own career trajectory. I was really impressed with the intuitive structure of the chapters and content contained within. A truly pleasant surprise!
Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
“He should’ve known better. Vengeance is never halfway as simple, or halfway as sweet, as you think it’s going to be.”
——————————-
This was an underwhelming and disappointing conclusion to a series that was also underwhelming and disappointing. After so much was made of the Gurkish, the Hundred Words, and how ruthless the Emperor was the collision between them in our protagonists was anticlimactic. That was an opportunity for some epic battles and suspense, and it was just so muddled and messy that it felt flat.
Many of the character twists and reveals weren’t plausible as no plot had been laid to support that, or any true lead in. It felt rushed, especially the shift to evil mastermind from one of our main characters.
I started skimming settings, conversations, and nearly all of Glokta’s inner dialogue just to get through the text. The physical intimacy was again gross and didn’t fit with the trilogy.
I was so unsatisfied with how we ended basically where we began, and many of the characters were effectively unchanged by their experiences at base which is sort of impossible. I guess I just expected so much more from this because so many people were excited and seemed to love it a lot.
This is one of those times I can accept it’s not for me and just move on.
——————————-
This was an underwhelming and disappointing conclusion to a series that was also underwhelming and disappointing. After so much was made of the Gurkish, the Hundred Words, and how ruthless the Emperor was the collision between them in our protagonists was anticlimactic. That was an opportunity for some epic battles and suspense, and it was just so muddled and messy that it felt flat.
Many of the character twists and reveals weren’t plausible as no plot had been laid to support that, or any true lead in. It felt rushed, especially the shift to evil mastermind from one of our main characters.
I started skimming settings, conversations, and nearly all of Glokta’s inner dialogue just to get through the text. The physical intimacy was again gross and didn’t fit with the trilogy.
I was so unsatisfied with how we ended basically where we began, and many of the characters were effectively unchanged by their experiences at base which is sort of impossible. I guess I just expected so much more from this because so many people were excited and seemed to love it a lot.
This is one of those times I can accept it’s not for me and just move on.
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
“Fear teaches you caution, and respect for your enemy, and to avoid sharp edges used in anger… Every man who’s worth a damn feels fear. It’s the use you make of it that counts.”
——————————
As with book one of the First Law trilogy, this was a potentially great book that suffered from writing that misaligned with the plot, character age, and overly prescriptive emotions/scenes/characters, and messiness.
The first chapter led with an odd and noticeable change to a character’s diction but then wasn’t consistent, so it was even more noticeable. Glokta’s internal dialogue was so distracting I actually began skimming it quite early on in the book. Quai read like an entirely new character. If I noticed that, how did the characters not also notice and respond to such an obvious change? It made no sense.
Some characters experienced surprisingly strong development while others stood still. I found the Longfoot character extremely perturbing because he would all but disappear from the book for dozens of pages even though he was very much a part of the group. It was like Abercrombie didn’t know what to do with him so he just ignored that he existed, which was so odd to read. Then he’d randomly pop up again 😂
The sex scene/physical intimacy read like a parody and was honestly just so offputting. I’m a completionist so I’ll finish the series but wow. Not that pleasant.
——————————
As with book one of the First Law trilogy, this was a potentially great book that suffered from writing that misaligned with the plot, character age, and overly prescriptive emotions/scenes/characters, and messiness.
The first chapter led with an odd and noticeable change to a character’s diction but then wasn’t consistent, so it was even more noticeable. Glokta’s internal dialogue was so distracting I actually began skimming it quite early on in the book. Quai read like an entirely new character. If I noticed that, how did the characters not also notice and respond to such an obvious change? It made no sense.
Some characters experienced surprisingly strong development while others stood still. I found the Longfoot character extremely perturbing because he would all but disappear from the book for dozens of pages even though he was very much a part of the group. It was like Abercrombie didn’t know what to do with him so he just ignored that he existed, which was so odd to read. Then he’d randomly pop up again 😂
The sex scene/physical intimacy read like a parody and was honestly just so offputting. I’m a completionist so I’ll finish the series but wow. Not that pleasant.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
“The hate and the fury were gone, for the time being, but they had left a hole, and she had nothing else to fill it with.”
——————————-
Almost immediately I knew reading this would be a challenge for me. The writing felt like a fanfiction or like an extremely juvenile person wrote it. The actions and sounds were so odd and repetitive. Abercrombie used way too much prescriptive writing for thoughts, actions, and settings. The fight scenes were messy, chaotic, and extremely hard to follow.
While Glokta’s story inspired sympathy at first, his inner dialogue was exhausting. It kept interrupting the narrative and added almost no value for me. It was a lot of telling, not showing, which I guess is one of my main points of critique for this entire book.
Ferro was one of my favorite characters. To that point – I get the allure of intentionally writing unlikable characters, but many of them weren’t even believable.
I struggled to get into a flow with this book and really never succeeded. It made me want to avoid reading. I gave it two stars over one star (it was a close call) because the plot was actually extremely interesting. I liked the magical elements, like Logen speaking to the spirits, Bayaz displaying his power, and the foray into the Maker’s House. The Bloody-Nine switch was also quite intriguing.
I wish I had enjoyed the writing more because clearly Abercrombie created an interesting world, but executed it so poorly I just wanted it to be over much of the time.
——————————-
Almost immediately I knew reading this would be a challenge for me. The writing felt like a fanfiction or like an extremely juvenile person wrote it. The actions and sounds were so odd and repetitive. Abercrombie used way too much prescriptive writing for thoughts, actions, and settings. The fight scenes were messy, chaotic, and extremely hard to follow.
While Glokta’s story inspired sympathy at first, his inner dialogue was exhausting. It kept interrupting the narrative and added almost no value for me. It was a lot of telling, not showing, which I guess is one of my main points of critique for this entire book.
Ferro was one of my favorite characters. To that point – I get the allure of intentionally writing unlikable characters, but many of them weren’t even believable.
I struggled to get into a flow with this book and really never succeeded. It made me want to avoid reading. I gave it two stars over one star (it was a close call) because the plot was actually extremely interesting. I liked the magical elements, like Logen speaking to the spirits, Bayaz displaying his power, and the foray into the Maker’s House. The Bloody-Nine switch was also quite intriguing.
I wish I had enjoyed the writing more because clearly Abercrombie created an interesting world, but executed it so poorly I just wanted it to be over much of the time.