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sierrah_2101's reviews
56 reviews
A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.5
Okonkwo's collection of short stories is phenomenal. The attention to detail in bringing Nigeria to life off the paper is stunning, and each character and location feels real and relatable. Okonkwo's style and prose are gripping, and her talent is palpable and consistent across all ten stories. The only falter I could put a finger on was that I couldn't emotionally connect as easily with some stories. While Okonkwo can perfectly paint Nigeria across every page, there are still some things as a white American that I find difficult to connect to, but this is not fully the fault of the author.
A Kind of Madness comprises 10 stories of madness. The reasons for these bouts of madness vary, but they all manifest in similar ways. For me, Okonkwo's stories seemed to feature one major cause though: desperation. Desperation for attention, for food, for love, for forgiveness, for God. For me, that was the story being told. That desperation breeds madness. But the beauty of Okonkwo's writing is I'm sure each person will take their own individual lesson away from these stories. Personally, the story that felt best crafted - and relatable - was Milk, Blood, Oil, but from reading the reviews it seems every person who's read it had a specific story that hit closest to home. I believe that's the beauty of Okonkwo's writing.
I highly recommend this collection of stories, as I was pleasantly surprised by the simultaneous simplicity and depth these stories had to offer. They are grandiose while also being just a drop in the bucket of each of these characters' lives and towns, they are meaningful and insignificant and I find that incredibly real and incredibly human.
A Kind of Madness comprises 10 stories of madness. The reasons for these bouts of madness vary, but they all manifest in similar ways. For me, Okonkwo's stories seemed to feature one major cause though: desperation. Desperation for attention, for food, for love, for forgiveness, for God. For me, that was the story being told. That desperation breeds madness. But the beauty of Okonkwo's writing is I'm sure each person will take their own individual lesson away from these stories. Personally, the story that felt best crafted - and relatable - was Milk, Blood, Oil, but from reading the reviews it seems every person who's read it had a specific story that hit closest to home. I believe that's the beauty of Okonkwo's writing.
I highly recommend this collection of stories, as I was pleasantly surprised by the simultaneous simplicity and depth these stories had to offer. They are grandiose while also being just a drop in the bucket of each of these characters' lives and towns, they are meaningful and insignificant and I find that incredibly real and incredibly human.
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
I have no words for how stunningly good this book was. Where do I begin?
Evan Winter's writing is gripping and real, the characters were all so pristinely human despite this being in a fantasy world. In a refreshing setting - based on Brozen Age Africa - and with a rare (at least nowadays) focus on pure revenge, The Rage of Dragons is an absolute epic. Not only is Winter's characterization haunting and gorgeous, but the social and political commentary and intrigue are just as frustrating in all the right ways. At first, most of the views Winter presents about war, power, class, and peace may seem simple, but they were stuck incredibly deep in my skin and Winter's writing allows these ideas to seep into every word of his work. My perspective has been totally changed and humbled and opened within 523 pages.
I want to say more, but frankly, I'm at a loss. Winter is simply a paramount writer, and after reading this I immediately went to put the second book on hold at the library, if that's any proof of just how much of a grip this book had on my psyche.
Also dragons? Did I mention dragons? God, I love dragons.
Please read this book.
Evan Winter's writing is gripping and real, the characters were all so pristinely human despite this being in a fantasy world. In a refreshing setting - based on Brozen Age Africa - and with a rare (at least nowadays) focus on pure revenge, The Rage of Dragons is an absolute epic. Not only is Winter's characterization haunting and gorgeous, but the social and political commentary and intrigue are just as frustrating in all the right ways. At first, most of the views Winter presents about war, power, class, and peace may seem simple, but they were stuck incredibly deep in my skin and Winter's writing allows these ideas to seep into every word of his work. My perspective has been totally changed and humbled and opened within 523 pages.
I want to say more, but frankly, I'm at a loss. Winter is simply a paramount writer, and after reading this I immediately went to put the second book on hold at the library, if that's any proof of just how much of a grip this book had on my psyche.
Also dragons? Did I mention dragons? God, I love dragons.
Please read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Classism, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Robert Kolker's Hidden Valley Road is a deep cut into the way we view schizophrenia, mainly in the past half-century. His story follows that of the Galvin family, headed by Mimi and Don in which they parented 12 children - yes, 12 - where half of them are eventually diagnosed with varying degrees of schizophrenia.
For me, this book was a fairly slow start as Kolker first sets up the history between Mimi and Don, where we can already see cracks forming in their partnership. But, once Donald - their first son - was born, things quickly spiraled from there. My main appreciation for this book was Kolker's writing. Whether it comes to complicated family interactions or translating complex technical and medical discoveries for the layman. It very rarely dragged, and at times, it almost felt like time was moving too fast through the pages. I never felt lost or overwhelmed until thegene discoveries were made, but that's probably because my eyes glaze over during that subject at any time, so that's not Kolker's cross to bear. He also handles very sensitive topics, such as sexual assault , tactfully, and it's clear Kolker took great care in making his interviewees comfortable when discussing these events.
As for the downsides, there were only two major ones. One of which other reviewers have also brought up multiple times, but I wish that there was more discussion of the personal thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of other family members other than the two youngest daughters, which are Kolker's focuses throughout the story. I understand the difficulty in interviewing people with schizophrenia, especially people with as severe cases as some of the Galvin sons had, but it almost felt like half the story was missing without their opinions and ideas presented really at all.
The other is that, despite the many decades of devoted scientific work it feels as though... Not much happened? Again, I can't blame this on Kolker at all, I went into this book understanding it wasn't going to "crack the case on schizophrenia" at all, but there sadly wasn't much more than,"It's genetic! Don't know much more beyond that!" that I was already fairly aware of before I cracked this open. However, it was very intriguing to learn the details, and how there's already been steps taken to "cure" schizophrenia before it can even manifest, which was properly mind-boggling. I can tell Kolker put in an immense amount of research and time interviewing to condense that much scientific labor in such a readable and condensed format, and I suppose the slight frustration with feeling like no progress has been made is also kind of the point too.
Overall, this is a fascinating and very digestible read that will leave you just as hopeful as upset with everything these parents and twelve children went through. An enlightening and humble book, I would highly recommend Kolker's work to anyone interested in the history of mental illnesses and the monumental cultural and scientific changes that America has seen in the past 60 years. 4.25/5 stars.
For me, this book was a fairly slow start as Kolker first sets up the history between Mimi and Don, where we can already see cracks forming in their partnership. But, once Donald - their first son - was born, things quickly spiraled from there. My main appreciation for this book was Kolker's writing. Whether it comes to complicated family interactions or translating complex technical and medical discoveries for the layman. It very rarely dragged, and at times, it almost felt like time was moving too fast through the pages. I never felt lost or overwhelmed until the
As for the downsides, there were only two major ones. One of which other reviewers have also brought up multiple times, but I wish that there was more discussion of the personal thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of other family members other than the two youngest daughters, which are Kolker's focuses throughout the story. I understand the difficulty in interviewing people with schizophrenia, especially people with as severe cases as some of the Galvin sons had, but it almost felt like half the story was missing without their opinions and ideas presented really at all.
The other is that, despite the many decades of devoted scientific work it feels as though... Not much happened? Again, I can't blame this on Kolker at all, I went into this book understanding it wasn't going to "crack the case on schizophrenia" at all, but there sadly wasn't much more than,
Overall, this is a fascinating and very digestible read that will leave you just as hopeful as upset with everything these parents and twelve children went through. An enlightening and humble book, I would highly recommend Kolker's work to anyone interested in the history of mental illnesses and the monumental cultural and scientific changes that America has seen in the past 60 years. 4.25/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Mental illness, Incest, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Death, Suicide, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Emotional abuse, Drug use, War, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Better Than the Prom by Lynn Painter
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.25
Better than Before by Lynn Painter
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Was it cliche? Yes. Was it cute? Also yes. Do I recommend it? ...Sorta.
Lynn Painter's Better than the Movies is a romcom straight from the silver screen. Headed by Liz, her childhood crush Michael has returned to Omaha from Texas halfway through their senior year of high school. Liz enlists childhood neighbor and lifetime rival Wes to beautify her and get the word out to Michael to see if he'd ask Liz to prom.
Painter's write, although cringey at times, is realistically cringey. High schoolers are cringey, and so I felt quite a bit of the dialogue was quite fitting. Wes, as a character, is beyond lovable. Overall, a fun, charming, and upstanding man, Painter poured her love into his characterization. Liz's... Slips. At times, she pissed me off. But, that was kind of the point. Liz isn't perfect and tripped over her feet multiple times trying to get Michael's attention, and she does thankfully face consequences for those she hurt along the way.
Also, the way Painter wroteLiz and Wes's first romantic moments together extremely warmly and cutely, had me kicking my feet 'n' shit. Those moments are definitely her authorial strong suit. This book was very fast-paced and digestible, making it a speedy and fun read.
Now why would I hesitate to recommend this book despite enjoying it? Well... I enjoyed it so much because it's literally the plot of The DUFF. I love The DUFF it's like my favorite romcom of all time. But the plot overlap was uncannily similar. Am I saying Painter stole it? God no, I know tropes in romcoms are extremely thin and recycled beyond belief, but it still felt like I was reading The DUFF through a telephone. Made me really want to watch it again though.
Good read, cute, if at times cringey, frustrating, and repetitive. For a mindless romance read, it clears that bar easily.
Lynn Painter's Better than the Movies is a romcom straight from the silver screen. Headed by Liz, her childhood crush Michael has returned to Omaha from Texas halfway through their senior year of high school. Liz enlists childhood neighbor and lifetime rival Wes to beautify her and get the word out to Michael to see if he'd ask Liz to prom.
Painter's write, although cringey at times, is realistically cringey. High schoolers are cringey, and so I felt quite a bit of the dialogue was quite fitting. Wes, as a character, is beyond lovable. Overall, a fun, charming, and upstanding man, Painter poured her love into his characterization. Liz's... Slips. At times, she pissed me off. But, that was kind of the point. Liz isn't perfect and tripped over her feet multiple times trying to get Michael's attention, and she does thankfully face consequences for those she hurt along the way.
Also, the way Painter wrote
Now why would I hesitate to recommend this book despite enjoying it? Well... I enjoyed it so much because it's literally the plot of The DUFF. I love The DUFF it's like my favorite romcom of all time. But the plot overlap was uncannily similar. Am I saying Painter stole it? God no, I know tropes in romcoms are extremely thin and recycled beyond belief, but it still felt like I was reading The DUFF through a telephone. Made me really want to watch it again though.
Good read, cute, if at times cringey, frustrating, and repetitive. For a mindless romance read, it clears that bar easily.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
this book was... fine. like, it was very aggressively mediocre. the flowery writing is very clearly there to sound fancier than the story actually is, and some of the worldbuilding is completely non-sensical. like, the reveal at the end that the cows and sky are actually there and healthy! the government is just LYING TO YOU!!!!! they are big and EVIL!!!! is so juvenile I was actively losing my mind. but if you approach this book as a romance, it's cute. serviceable. fine. aka I recommend reading this from like an 11-year-old's mindset and not an adult's cause if you apply even the slightest bit of logic this shit falls apart so fast. but I'll probs read the next book, purely cause I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers and a part of me is hoping that's what the series leads to, but yeah beyond that draw... don't recommend it.