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bites_of_books's reviews
680 reviews
Tribu de lectoras by Librosb4tipos
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
Hermosa colección de ensayos sobre lo que es ser lectora. Las relaciones entre autoras y lectoras y el impacto que tiene el leer el libro correcto en el momento correcto.
Me identifique mucho con varias de las autoras y aún cuando no había leído a las autoras de las que hablaban, me encantaba el entusiasmo y la pasión con la cual describían el impacto que tuvieron en sus vidas.
Un libro altamente recomendable para lectoras de todas las edades. También puede servir para quien acaba de leer a una de las autoras mencionadas y quiere leer los pensamientos de alguien más.
Me identifique mucho con varias de las autoras y aún cuando no había leído a las autoras de las que hablaban, me encantaba el entusiasmo y la pasión con la cual describían el impacto que tuvieron en sus vidas.
Un libro altamente recomendable para lectoras de todas las edades. También puede servir para quien acaba de leer a una de las autoras mencionadas y quiere leer los pensamientos de alguien más.
Little Birds by Anaïs Nin
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
This is a collection of erotica short stories that is quite impactful, even outside of the erotic parts. I couldn't really get into the stories because the blatant racism throughout kept pulling me out of it.
The writing is quite beautiful and I so wish that I had been able to enjoy it more. As is, it is not a book that I would recommend.
The writing is quite beautiful and I so wish that I had been able to enjoy it more. As is, it is not a book that I would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Racism, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a really fun mystery/fantasy/romance book where we follow a young woman who has been struck with a curse and is trying to figure out why this has happened to her. This is all narrated by a fae creature who is able to transform herself into wisps of smoke, mites, shadows, and sneak around in order to be able to tell us the story of Miss Maelys Mitchelmore and her misadventures. The book is slightly spicy but not too much, and the romance isn't all that this story is about, there are complicated character relationships all around and I did appreciate the touches of historical bits thrown in here and there. My favorite character truly was the narrator who kept everything at great pace and also left me on the edge of my seat many many times.
All in all I'd highly recommend this book as a fun book that will keep you entertained and will give some spicy romance vibes.
All in all I'd highly recommend this book as a fun book that will keep you entertained and will give some spicy romance vibes.
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Happiness Falls is a true mystery book, one that truly keeps the reader guessing but also learning a lot. Our narrator is Mia, a young woman whose father goes missing after going to the park with her 14-year-old brother who has Angelman syndrome and autism. Mia is an overthinker and easily goes off on tangents as she tells the story of her missing father. I personally enjoyed the various footnotes and also the scientific explanations about language, psychology, philosophy, etc. All-in-all it can be a difficult book to get through if you struggle with tangents and a narrator who doesn't disclose everything right from the start. It all makes for a really engaging and mysterious story that enlightened me about people diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, people with autism who are non-verbal, speech therapy, all also in the context of a mixed Korean American family. There were so many layers to this novel: cultural backgrounds, in regards to disabilities, the criminal justice system, cops, sibling relationships, and parenthood.
I'd recommend this one if you like mysteries, novels that feature people with disabilities, and if you like tangents and footnotes in your novels.
I'd recommend this one if you like mysteries, novels that feature people with disabilities, and if you like tangents and footnotes in your novels.
Stay True by Hua Hsu
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Stay True is Hua Hsu's memoir centering his college years and his friendship with Ken, a fellow classmate.
I had no previous knowledge of Hua Hsu but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of his memoir, it goes into a young Taiwanese American man's life as he navigates his journey through college. He strives to be alternative and fully outside of the mainstream, which was quite enjoyable for me. His passion for writing starts with putting together zines about his favorite subjects, mainly music.
I really enjoyed learning about his participation in activism around campus and the history of activism during various times in history. I didn't enjoy the philosophy sections as much, but that's just a personal preference.
Overall I'd recommend the audio since it also allowed me to hear the emotions in certain sections of the book, which made it even more powerful.
I had no previous knowledge of Hua Hsu but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of his memoir, it goes into a young Taiwanese American man's life as he navigates his journey through college. He strives to be alternative and fully outside of the mainstream, which was quite enjoyable for me. His passion for writing starts with putting together zines about his favorite subjects, mainly music.
I really enjoyed learning about his participation in activism around campus and the history of activism during various times in history. I didn't enjoy the philosophy sections as much, but that's just a personal preference.
Overall I'd recommend the audio since it also allowed me to hear the emotions in certain sections of the book, which made it even more powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Drug use, Kidnapping, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Murder
Christmas with Louisa May Alcott by Louisa May Alcott
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Definitely a bit dated, the focus of charity from the POV of wealthy people isn't the most interesting for me.
Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten Vol. 1 by Riddle Kamimura
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a super cute and lighthearted manga about a man who looks very scary and who rescues a kitten from the street. It shows how the cat is constantly scared of the man and how he starts to learn more about who rescued him and also what his new life will be like.
I'd highly recommend if you need a lighthearted read with a cute and clueless cat as protagonist.
I'd highly recommend if you need a lighthearted read with a cute and clueless cat as protagonist.
Disclosure by Michael Crichton
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
This is probably the worst Crichton book I've read so far. He tries to do a gender reversal on sexual harassment in the office but it completely misses the mark.
We follow Tom, a man who is looking forward to a promotion that will happen along with a merger at his tech company. However, he's very surprised when a woman takes the position that he thought he'd be promoted into and that she's also his ex-girlfriend. From the start there are a lot of gaps in his memory that felt like justifications for all his thinking, he didn't remember how they broke up, etc. The first day that she's at her new position she sexually assaults him and he reacts by trying to get acknowledgement of the assault. In this case yes, he is a victim of what has happened and using this to set the scene, Crichton creates a lot of ambiguous arguments about the problem with women being in positions of power, has characters make misogynist, homophobic, and racist remarks, and just a lot of drivel that was simply unnecessary and awful.
There is little to rescue from this book unfortunately, he tries to also show a virtual reality system and how that mirrors our own reality but it doesn't quite work either.
I wouldn't recommend this book, if you want to read Crichton, maybe read one of his earlier works.
We follow Tom, a man who is looking forward to a promotion that will happen along with a merger at his tech company. However, he's very surprised when a woman takes the position that he thought he'd be promoted into and that she's also his ex-girlfriend. From the start there are a lot of gaps in his memory that felt like justifications for all his thinking, he didn't remember how they broke up, etc. The first day that she's at her new position she sexually assaults him and he reacts by trying to get acknowledgement of the assault. In this case yes, he is a victim of what has happened and using this to set the scene, Crichton creates a lot of ambiguous arguments about the problem with women being in positions of power, has characters make misogynist, homophobic, and racist remarks, and just a lot of drivel that was simply unnecessary and awful.
There is little to rescue from this book unfortunately, he tries to also show a virtual reality system and how that mirrors our own reality but it doesn't quite work either.
I wouldn't recommend this book, if you want to read Crichton, maybe read one of his earlier works.
Yo maté a un perro en Rumanía by Claudia Ulloa Donoso
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Puedo apreciar mucho el estilo y la narrativa de la autora. Fue muy impresionante como puede transmitir emociones y el sentimiento de soledad y desesperación de los personajes.
Hay varias partes que me parecieron que no eran necesarias, como la narrativa desde el punto de vista de Ovidiu. El tema de salud mental tenía suficiente énfasis sin agregar a Ovidiu.
Finalmente, aunque es el titulo del libro, las partes que incluyen a los perros me causaron mucha ansiedad. Quizás ese era el punto pero me costo mucho trabajo entender el por que.
A final de cuentas creo que mi problema es con el estilo de la autora y los temas del libro, no lo recomendaría pero solo por razones personales.
Hay varias partes que me parecieron que no eran necesarias, como la narrativa desde el punto de vista de Ovidiu. El tema de salud mental tenía suficiente énfasis sin agregar a Ovidiu.
Finalmente, aunque es el titulo del libro, las partes que incluyen a los perros me causaron mucha ansiedad. Quizás ese era el punto pero me costo mucho trabajo entender el por que.
A final de cuentas creo que mi problema es con el estilo de la autora y los temas del libro, no lo recomendaría pero solo por razones personales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Self harm, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Death, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit
Sensory: Life on the Spectrum. An Autistic Comics Anthology by Schnumn, Bex Ollerton
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
This collection of comics was compiled as part of a quick project to gather comics written about autism by Autistic people.
I really enjoyed exploring each artist's art style while also learning about autism in the process. There were ~40 different artists that collaborated and the one thing I didn't enjoy as much was that the comics did get a bit repetitive.
I would have also loved to have seen a bit more POC artists in the collection.
I really enjoyed exploring each artist's art style while also learning about autism in the process. There were ~40 different artists that collaborated and the one thing I didn't enjoy as much was that the comics did get a bit repetitive.
I would have also loved to have seen a bit more POC artists in the collection.