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bea_reads_books's reviews
234 reviews
The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy
I absolutely loved this book. It rekindled all the rage I’ve been trying to ignore over the litany of injustices and oppressions in the world. And it reminded me that my rage is good, it is needed, and it is healthy. I SHOULD be angry. It means I am paying attention.
challenging
informative
inspiring
5.0
“We will not let ourselves be burned, because this time, the fire is ours.”
I absolutely loved this book. It rekindled all the rage I’ve been trying to ignore over the litany of injustices and oppressions in the world. And it reminded me that my rage is good, it is needed, and it is healthy. I SHOULD be angry. It means I am paying attention.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
AAAAAAAAAAAAH 😩 I can’t remember the last time I loved a book this much! I will say that I was very intimidated by this book because the audiobook is NINETEEN HOURS long. I prefer to stick with 6-7 hours, and can handle 10-12 at the most if I really think it’s worth it. I was honestly expecting this to be a DNF because of sheer length, but boy am I glad I tried it anyway. It really didn’t feel nearly as long as it was; every chapter actually had a point, every scene moved the story along. I never once felt like the plot was dragging or was needlessly prolonged (like I so often do with longer books, especially in fantasy). And, surprisingly for me, I actually loved the romance and how that storyline was handled. I often get impatient/frustrated with romance because it feels either way too rushed or stretched out for no reason, and this was neither. God this book was incredible. Well done, Foz Meadows. You have a new super fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Die For You by Max Walker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.
I have really been trying to push with this series, despite not really loving any of the books, but I think I’ve finally had enough. For a lot of reasons (some are judgement calls, some are absolutely personal preference and probably wouldn't bother someone that loves the romance genre).
For one thing, it is uncomfortably positive about the military and police. It’s not anything overt like “Blue lives matter!” Or “Man, I sure love being in the army!” It’s just that a lot of the characters are currently in the army/police force, or else are ex-cops. At first, I thought maybe we were going to address why someone might leave the force, if it clashed with their personal morals. But instead, it seems that this is merely a device for storytelling. For example, one of the two leads in this book is an ex-cop who now works for a private security/investigation company, because it serves the romance better if he can spend all his time bodyguarding the other lead character, instead of having pesky things like job hours or superiors to report to.
I also feel like, in this entire series, the author sort of plucks tropes out of the air and forces a story around them, resulting in a pretty lackluster product. In the second book of the series (Midnights Like This) it was supposed to be a “fake dating” dynamic, which usually entails a lot of longing and buildup and whatnot. But there was no buildup at all. They had feelings for eachother - and had sex with each other - right from the start. There was nothing we had to work for, aside from waiting for an apology from one of the leads, which after they were together without it anyway, didn’t really feel like it had much purpose.
In a similar vein, all the characters seem like cardboard cutouts of each other. The smaller guy is stubborn and sassy and emotional and a twink. The bigger guy is super protective and a “golden retriever”. The author sometimes gives them distinguishing characteristics, but only as an aside to say “this guy is this way” without ever actually showing it on page. Like in this book, the bigger guy (I cannot remember any of their names) is said to be the “strong and silent” type, not speaking much. But all throughout the book, we don’t see that even a single time. He talks a completely normal amount.
For one thing, it is uncomfortably positive about the military and police. It’s not anything overt like “Blue lives matter!” Or “Man, I sure love being in the army!” It’s just that a lot of the characters are currently in the army/police force, or else are ex-cops. At first, I thought maybe we were going to address why someone might leave the force, if it clashed with their personal morals. But instead, it seems that this is merely a device for storytelling. For example, one of the two leads in this book is an ex-cop who now works for a private security/investigation company, because it serves the romance better if he can spend all his time bodyguarding the other lead character, instead of having pesky things like job hours or superiors to report to.
I also feel like, in this entire series, the author sort of plucks tropes out of the air and forces a story around them, resulting in a pretty lackluster product. In the second book of the series (Midnights Like This) it was supposed to be a “fake dating” dynamic, which usually entails a lot of longing and buildup and whatnot. But there was no buildup at all. They had feelings for eachother - and had sex with each other - right from the start. There was nothing we had to work for, aside from waiting for an apology from one of the leads, which after they were together without it anyway, didn’t really feel like it had much purpose.
In a similar vein, all the characters seem like cardboard cutouts of each other. The smaller guy is stubborn and sassy and emotional and a twink. The bigger guy is super protective and a “golden retriever”. The author sometimes gives them distinguishing characteristics, but only as an aside to say “this guy is this way” without ever actually showing it on page. Like in this book, the bigger guy (I cannot remember any of their names) is said to be the “strong and silent” type, not speaking much. But all throughout the book, we don’t see that even a single time. He talks a completely normal amount.
Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Ugh I loved this so so much - it scratches that itch left by books like I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself, Our Wives Under The Sea, and Paradise Rot. Full of existential dread and musings, questions about the nature of reality and how we can ever really know whether we’re truly grounded in it. I confess I was hoping for more answers by the end that I didn’t get, but I also know that part of the beauty of this specific kind of book is precisely that it leaves you with more questions than answers. Plus, the audiobook was only four hours long (two for me since I listen on double speed) and I just love a book I can devour in one sitting. Which I absolutely did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I absolutely loved this trilogy as a kid, but never actually got around to reading the third book. I wanted to start over and actually finish, partly for closure and partly to see if I still think it’s as good as I used to.
Overall, I still loved this book. Many actual tears were shed at various points, and the sibling dynamic is very realistic. My only real gripe with this book is a phenomenon I’ve been noticing more and more with the books I read as a kid - they’re all incredibly (or at least very overtly) fatphobic, usually in the form of comedy.
In this book, a lesser antagonist is portrayed as disgusting, lazy, a “worthless drunk”, and a LOT of emphasis is put on his weight being the butt of the joke and part of what makes him so repulsive. JKR does this, Lemony Snicket (one of my all-time-favorite authors) does it, and Obert Skye does it.
I notice it even more in books that were “weird” or creepy - which is unfortunate because those were my favorite kinds of books to read as a child/teen (and frankly still are). I am begging writers to find other ways to be funny or to make a “bad” character, without making them fat (or, for that matter, disabled - I see that one a lot too).
Also, it made me somewhat uncomfortable that the dwarves (something I already don’t love, because people with dwarfism are just regular people, not a mythical fantasy race) have their own entire culture and history and customs, but a pivotal moment of the story is when a human boy “calls out” the above mentioned fatphobic caricature as being “not a real dwarf”, and then proceeds to educate the dwarf population about what makes them who they are, after which he wins a medal and is appointed the official guardian of dwarf customs (or something similar, I forget the exact title). It felt extremely white-savior-ish to have someone from outside the “species” tell the dwarves how they should and shouldn’t behave in order to be considered a “real dwarf”. Which he has the authority to say because he... reads about dwarves? From one book? Rather than actually BEING one? Or even just living with them and studying their culture first hand?
Overall, I still loved this book. Many actual tears were shed at various points, and the sibling dynamic is very realistic. My only real gripe with this book is a phenomenon I’ve been noticing more and more with the books I read as a kid - they’re all incredibly (or at least very overtly) fatphobic, usually in the form of comedy.
In this book, a lesser antagonist is portrayed as disgusting, lazy, a “worthless drunk”, and a LOT of emphasis is put on his weight being the butt of the joke and part of what makes him so repulsive. JKR does this, Lemony Snicket (one of my all-time-favorite authors) does it, and Obert Skye does it.
I notice it even more in books that were “weird” or creepy - which is unfortunate because those were my favorite kinds of books to read as a child/teen (and frankly still are). I am begging writers to find other ways to be funny or to make a “bad” character, without making them fat (or, for that matter, disabled - I see that one a lot too).
Also, it made me somewhat uncomfortable that the dwarves (something I already don’t love, because people with dwarfism are just regular people, not a mythical fantasy race) have their own entire culture and history and customs, but a pivotal moment of the story is when a human boy “calls out” the above mentioned fatphobic caricature as being “not a real dwarf”, and then proceeds to educate the dwarf population about what makes them who they are, after which he wins a medal and is appointed the official guardian of dwarf customs (or something similar, I forget the exact title). It felt extremely white-savior-ish to have someone from outside the “species” tell the dwarves how they should and shouldn’t behave in order to be considered a “real dwarf”. Which he has the authority to say because he... reads about dwarves? From one book? Rather than actually BEING one? Or even just living with them and studying their culture first hand?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
The Glass Castle by Trisha White Priebe
Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.
This got weirdly religious randomly half way through. Also, again completely out of nowhere, there was suddenly books like Gulliver’s Travels and the Bible and Great Expectations in a fantasy world that until that point made no mention whatsoever of our world. Super threw me out of the story. Ick.
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Grief
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
This book is just boring as hell
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.75
This book is mostly very well researched, and brings up so many important things for anyone to consider if they’re trying to deconstruct queerphobia and human exceptionalism. However, there were a few points that the author included things which are not true, such as the belief many vegans hold that the dairy and meat industry is inhumane because the cows are treated badly. As someone who has spent their entire lives in, around, and working with these industries, I can say this is unequivocally false. Mistreated cows are at the very least, unprofitable. So even if we discard the fact that cow farmers do actually care about their cows, this idea still doesn’t make sense from a purely capitalistic standpoint. The author also references the outdated concept of giraffes having long necks because they were evolutionarily selected for. This theory has been demonstrated to be false for a while now. I did really enjoy the book, but I wish it had been just a little better fact checked.