Awesome book. I loved the pacing and short chapters, as it was easy to read a few in between a busy day. I definitely want to check out some more of Grisham‘s work

This book was slow and the plot felt thin even though it was a really interesting concept. I still really enjoyed the story and characters in this. Fun read and can‘t wait to watch the movie

Loved the narrative style and deeply appreciated the childhood stories and insights on American and Appalachian culture. I was completely thrown off by the military talk and thoughts on the Iraq war. Only then did I learn the author is a Trump-endorsed conservative politician. I can still appreciate the book, but with a healthy dose of skepticism after learning this.

Other reviews said this one was dense. I loved it. Frank and funny. I am also always a sucker for flashback type stories so entering the different lives was so fun. Sometimes the message doesn‘t need to be buried beneath profound metaphor.

Been loving Americana literature and this one did not disappoint. I love this story for its sympathy and sweet portrayal of female disability. Great read

The stories written later in his life felt wiser, maybe because he‘d had more time to reflect on it all, especially the ones about his family. I don‘t have much more to say about this guy. Probably my absolute favorite now. His family reminds me too much of my own to not enjoy his work. So funny and touching

This book is so sweet and so sad. It is also unfortunately relatable. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines and the pacing felt just right. “I hope you‘ll think of the good, not the bad… Of the time we spent together, not the time we‘ve spent apart.” Beautiful

I think the main character felt a little like an attempt at a manic pixie dream girl, or whatever the female protagonist equivalent is that I‘ve found in so much recent fiction, but I did enjoy the story. The pacing was good and I really liked the family dynamic and indirect connections drawn between the protagonist and her mother. I loved the nature descriptions and though the prose was heavy, it was nice. Makes me want to travel to the UK

I love this book. I didn‘t know much coming into it besides it being a subject of debate regarding endorsements of immoral behavior. I think a lot of readers really lack a nuance necessary for getting what Nabokov intended from this book. It is not condoning H.H. but feels more like a cautionary tale, really making the reader question their own ethics as they read a terrible story from the perspective of a terrible person.

Every man should read this book. Makes me sad and resentful to be a woman

Not much of a plot but so, so sad. Not feeling very patriotic after this one

I love everything this man writes. Hilarious and thoughtful. I prefer the stories from his childhood over the ones about his time in France and for that reason, I enjoyed Naked more. Nonetheless, Sedaris has quickly become one of my favorite authors!

Disturbing, graphic, and a bit funny. I could not put this book down but I can‘t decide if that‘s for good or bad reason. Definitely some interesting commentary but I haven‘t been able to tell whether or not I think the author successfully did the despicable main character thing well. I‘ve seen this compared to American Psycho and My Year of Rest and Relaxation, which is completely valid but cheapens it a bit for me. Captivating nonetheless.

Cute story. However, I am noticing a theme in much of the recent fiction I have been reading. Many of the young female narrators/main characters are self-obsessed, snarky, and sometimes manipulative. I‘m not sure if it‘s some kind of commentary on the reality of women‘s inner dialogues compared to the societal standard of politeness and sweetness but…it could also just be that that‘s the kind of fiction I gravitate towards. Hard to tell

This took my forever to get through, but I am trying to get better at reading older stuff.. This did feel like it dragged a bit, but I loved the characters and the story was sweet and sad

so good and so tragic. i do think the author‘s style could get old; ending every section with a quippy metaphor… but still an amazing read

I despise this book. I‘m not sure if I‘m too dense for whatever message this was supposed to convey but I cannot see any reason for reading this. It was incredibly disturbing and vulgar for no reason. I planned on finishing this book in a day because it is so short but it took me a few weeks to get though it because I could not get myself to pick it up most days. Just gross and seemingly pointless

I definitely was leaning more toward disliking this book until the ending. Though the beginning felt like an unnecessary buildup, the climax of the story made it worthwhile. Definitely an interesting read, especially during the holiday season. I will say, I definitely think some subject matter crossed a line for me. I LOVED My Year of Rest and Relaxation and this just did not hold up.

This is probably the funniest book I‘ve ever read. It wasn‘t without its emotional moments though, Ashes being my favorite story! There isn‘t a very profound way for me to articulate that I love the author‘s writing style and personality. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the near future

I love this so much. Though it probably should‘ve been, it never felt boring. I really do love books about mentally ill women. That last line!!!!!! I‘ve got to get back into reading now that I‘m settled into school. Thankfully, I‘m distracted enough now not to be profoundly self-reflective because of this.

I felt a little dissatisfied by the ending of this one, but I did really enjoy it for the most part. I really love the characters and how all of their stories intertwined so intensely. I also love what it had to say about mother/child relationships. Good stuff.

Not sure about this one… I thought it had some especially gross imagery, even when describing mundane and innocent things and unfortunately, I really was not convinced of her love for either man. I wish she would have given us more background of Jonas and Elle‘s actual relationship rather than just constantly tell us how magical it was.

It is a shame how much of this book was a surprise to me because of the absolute tragedy of the American public education system.

I can‘t decide if I like this book or not. Quite frankly, I as shocked by the ending, though I probably shouldn‘t have been. It was a pleasant surprise in some way though..

I have read the Great Gatsby a few times and it remains one of my favorite books. I loved a few of these short stories just as much. I did notice and was frustrated by Fitzgerald‘s habit of only writing about upper class or upper-middle class people and the way he describes women in some of his stories, but I suppose that is a result of the era. My favorites were The Diamond as Big as the Ritz and The Lee‘s of Happiness

This book absolutely wrecked me. I love everything about it and Sally Rooney is a genius. I rarely annotate when I read but this had so many beautiful quotes that I had to. I‘m nervous/excited to watch the series and I hope it lives up to the book!!!!

I actually brought this book on a trip to the Seqouia‘s and thought it would be a fun forest-trip read. I was extremely let down. The story felt pointlessly tragic, the characters unbearable, and the writing style annoying. I was bored reading this, though it was recommended to me as a “fast paced book, great for getting back into reading” :/

This is the first manga I‘ve read and I‘m not sure how to feel about. The art and gore was obviously amazing, but the story seemed convoluted and nonsensical. I feel like the plot was all over the place and I was often confused..

Unfortunately, I did not cry during this book. However, I did enjoy it a lot! Lovely story!! I don‘t typically enjoy Greek mythology or any kind of “fantasy” fiction so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this and how easy it was to follow. I love love love the foreshadowing and symbolism the author uses

So cute! I grew up in Palm Springs and was super excited and pleasantly surprised by the book taking place there. I was a bit bummed about how some aspects of their trip seemed so negative. After reading some other reviews.. I have to agree that Poppy was a bit annoying. I found myself wondering how the attraction was mutual.. but this was a fun and lighthearted read.

Spectacular with an amazing ending!!

WOW! I loved this book so much. I read a review about how Sylvia Plath is able to make you see Esther‘s actions as rational, right along with her, and I couldn‘t agree more. Plath is so great at putting the reader right inside Esther‘s head, so much so that you start to understand why she does the things she does. Great and tragic look into the world of mental illness and women in the 1950‘s

I haven‘t been to Israel since I was a child and before I knew of the conflict and hardship my Arab family faced there. My family is not from Ramallah and I learned a lot about the experiences of Arabs there versus where my family lives near the Lebanese border. I am so sad for the Palestinian people. Everyone should read this book. It perfectly and personally recounts the tragic history of a beautiful place.

I honestly couldn‘t put this book down. Insane. Disregard my last review

This was long, but felt perfect for the story. King makes me interested in a whole genre I usually have no interest in.

I had this book for a few months, but it felt like perfect timing that I only started it a few days ago. This is one of my new favorite books and I don‘t think I could say enough good about it. Absolutely beautiful... I will be recommending it to everyone I know

This was a really cute story, and maybe I‘m reading too much into it, but I felt like there were some odd racial/colonial undertones..

I felt like this was a bit slow at first, but the pace ended up being a perfect buildup to a beautiful ending. I definitely want to re-read this, just because I felt like I was not as immersed as I should have been reading the first half. Such a wonderfully sad story

It‘s been a while since I‘ve finished a book! Mostly because nonfiction is so much harder for me to get through, but practice makes perfect I suppose. My nonfiction reading tends to be about mammals like apes or ocean creatures. Something about bears piqued my interest a few weeks ago and I decided to give this a read. I was not disappointed! I love the way Kilham writes, because it is not incredibly dense. Great stuff, very interesting!

This book was SO COOL!!! I am a huge Bojack fan and this book made me remember why I love the show so much! The work and talent behind this show is honestly incredible! Great read, great show :))))

I enjoyed this book, but for all its anti-elitism sentiment, it felt very pretentious at times. I‘m not sure if it was the characters or just the way it was written, just felt a bit snobby. Still a fun read but I don‘t think I‘d recommend it.

This was so, so good. I wasn‘t expecting to cry at all reading this book but alas, I spent the last 50 pages or so crying.

I liked this book until the end, which I felt was unsatisfying. I hope there is a sequel as I don‘t think this is great as a stand-alone.