bookbrig's reviews
1747 reviews

It's Hard for Me to Live with Me: A Memoir by Seth Davis, Rex Chapman

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emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

3.75

I'm reading adult books that I think might work for a teen audience right now, and I grabbed this one because sports titles are often popular and it had a relatively short audiobook. The voice is so conversational and blunt that I do think it might be a good fit for the right teen reader. There's profanity and frank discussions of sexuality and addiction, with a refreshingly straightforward perspective. The opening does a great job of building suspense, and for a big chunk of the book Chapman is a kid/teen/college student. I found it interesting and somewhat endearing even though it wouldn't normally be a story I'd pick up for myself. Would recommend for basketball fans or anyone curious about what it's like to navigate college and professional sports. Also a deep dive into what addiction can look like and how difficult it can be to navigate for those affected. 
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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill's Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops by Damien Lewis

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adventurous informative fast-paced

3.75

Couldn't remember why I'd put this on hold, only to realize the movie is coming out soon. I chose it because I thought it might work for teen readers wanting more WWII history, and after reading it I think it could be a good fit for the right teen. It's a little bit gory, and very fully of bravado and action. The main protagonist the story follows is only in his mid-twenties by the end of the book, so if there's a teen up for the strategic and politic parts of the book, I think they'd connect quite well. 
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Blitz by Daniel O'Malley

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adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really love the world of this series, and the split time storytelling on this installment was really interesting. It kept me up late wanting to know what would happen, and it was full of wonderful characters. Made me want to reread the others in the series, honestly. I also thought the nods to Little Princess and Secret Garden were kind of sweet!
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Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

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adventurous dark tense 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? No

4.0

I'm not sure why I originally put this on hold, but I highly recommend the audiobook if you can get it. The reader is fantastic, and there are a couple songs in the story that are accompanied by music and are quite lovely to listen to. This is a gritty magical western with a roadtrip adventure feel, and I loved the characters and the slowly twisting journey. It's gory and occasionally kind of gross, but for all the darkness it didn't get too horrifying for me.  And there's a core of kindness and sweetness to some of the characters that offsets all the evil. 

The ending didn't quite stick the landing for me, because after all the build-up I felt like it unspooled too quickly, leaving me wanting a little something more. But I'd still recommend it. I think I'll booktalk this one for teens who enjoy Stephen King, though I'd likely go with readers in high school or older.
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Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change by Thor Hanson

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informative medium-paced
I picked this up because I was hoping it might be a good crossover for teen readers. While it might work for a research project, I don't think it's one I would recommend just for a pleasure read. It's informative, and I learned several things, but it was a bit more dry than I anticipated. A handy reference book maybe.
Kyotofu: Uniquely Delicious Japanese Desserts by Nicole Bermensolo

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informative slow-paced

2.5

There are some interesting concepts and tasty sound recipes in this book, but it doesn't have the best format or information for the recipes. The photos often don't match the instructions for the final food, and more than a few recipes feel best suited to a restaurant rather than a home kitchen. Which makes sense, considering the origins of the book, but I didn't find it as instructive or useful as other cookbooks I've tried. That said, I did make the matcha white chocolate cupcakes, and they had a lovely soft texture and clear, grassy flavor. So it's not a bad cookbook, but not one I'll pick up again I think. You might try it if you're looking for recipes with alternatives to some allergens, as it does include some creative swaps for baking that look like they could work well.

I also didn't love the interludes where various beauty benefits of ingredients were touted as reasons to eat these desserts. It felt a bit like that French Women Don't Get Fat book, all: well in THIS country people eat food that makes them beautiful, not like you Americans. Which isn't really what I'm looking for in a dessert cookbook, or any cookbook honestly. I'm not picking a dessert because it could improve my collagen intake and lead to fewer wrinkles-I'm just looking for something that sounds tasty.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

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emotional informative fast-paced
I read this thinking it might be a good fit for teen readers, and I do think it could work for teens with some clear content warnings. It's creative and moving, and deals with lots of teen relevant topics - college drinking/hookups, body image, racism, family dynamics, gender, and sexuality, plus there's engaging science and animal stuff. But it doesn't elide details. It's... graphic is the wrong word, but maybe just blunt? Honest. And that makes it both excellent and definitely not something I was in a great place to read right now. Check the content warnings on this one before you go in, because I didn't, and I wish I had. I wasn't really in the right place to read it, though I will happily recommend it to the right readers. The audiobook, read by the author, was excellently done. 
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Eat What You Watch: A Cookbook for Movie Lovers by Andrew Rea

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slow-paced

2.0

Not bad, but very much in the vein of other movie foodie cookbooks I've looked at. Light on instruction, heavy on lovely photography and styling. Nice to flip through, not something I'd pick up to cook from.
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

I first discovered Hanif Abdurraqib via this video of him reading the piece Defiance, Ohio is the Name of a Band (on YouTube here:  youtube.com/watch?v=2VJJJOdOfEE), and it was so good I wanted to read more of his stuff. Then I saw that he recorded the narration for the audio version of this book, so I gave it a try. It's SO good. Not just the writing or the narration, but both together and the asides added to the original text and also the forward and afterward by Ewing and Reynolds. There's so much going on in these essays, so even if you're like me and don't know all the musical artists that come up it's still going to draw you in and keep you listening. This is one I'm planning to buy in both audio and physical, for the different qualities each version bring to the work. 

Some are joyful and some are heart-wrenching and all of them are reflective and interesting and it makes for an excellent collection. Might be a good crossover read for your teens into music too. Highly recommend!
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That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Okay, I love this series. And I've already said it, but the characters are so wonderful and feel like real people, which makes these really quick reads for me. There are a few bits in each story that don't unfold the way I might have hoped, but I still ended up loving each story arc in the end. I have already gone back and reread bits of the earlier books, because I just can't get enough of the characters. ANYWAY. New favorite author acquired, I guess?
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