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snowbenton's reviews
3354 reviews
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
4.0
There's nothing wrong with Rubin's life, but she feels dissatisfied and sets out to fix it. She sets her goals for each month and comes up with real actionable items for her life and then forces herself to do them. She admits when she messes up and what she learns from it.
A lot of the reviews I read complain that she's a rich white woman and what does she have to whine about anyway -- but I think that the beauty of this book is its simplicity. Her happiness goals could be the same for everyone: sleep better to have more energy, be kinder to your family, don't expect applause every time you complete a task, have more dinner parties, join a club based on something you love. It is always the little things that make the biggest difference.
And hey, at the end of her year, she feels much happier. Isn't that something we all want?
A lot of the reviews I read complain that she's a rich white woman and what does she have to whine about anyway -- but I think that the beauty of this book is its simplicity. Her happiness goals could be the same for everyone: sleep better to have more energy, be kinder to your family, don't expect applause every time you complete a task, have more dinner parties, join a club based on something you love. It is always the little things that make the biggest difference.
And hey, at the end of her year, she feels much happier. Isn't that something we all want?
A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
3.0
All three books so far have been the same basic template, pacing, etc. If you're looking for something fun on audio where it won't be a big deal if you space out, this is a great series. I am a little disappointed in the lack of movement in an overarching plot and the relationship between Veronica and Stoker, but I'm not a long series type of person.
Emma by Jane Austen
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I have to come clean. I just don't like Jane Austen. I'm prepared to be shunned by my book club this evening for my failings.
I honestly don't have much to say. This book was so fucking boring it took me an entire month to read. I didn't like any of the characters and all of the scenes and all of the conversations were way too long.
But the main reason I can't recommend this is how fucking gross the main romance is. Emma is 21 (ish) and Knightley is 37 (ish) and HE TELLS HER HE HAS BEEN IN LOVE WITH HER SINCE SHE WAS THIRTEEN. WHICH MEANS WHEN HE WAS TWENTY FOUR HE WAS IN LOVE WITH A CHILD. I HATE THIS. I CANNOT CONTINUE. NO MORE AUSTEN.
I honestly don't have much to say. This book was so fucking boring it took me an entire month to read. I didn't like any of the characters and all of the scenes and all of the conversations were way too long.
But the main reason I can't recommend this is how fucking gross the main romance is. Emma is 21 (ish) and Knightley is 37 (ish) and HE TELLS HER HE HAS BEEN IN LOVE WITH HER SINCE SHE WAS THIRTEEN. WHICH MEANS WHEN HE WAS TWENTY FOUR HE WAS IN LOVE WITH A CHILD. I HATE THIS. I CANNOT CONTINUE. NO MORE AUSTEN.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
4.0
Not quite ten years ago my sister and I were driving to San Diego from Phoenix. We got stuck in some traffic in the middle of nowhere on the 8 past the California border. We finally got to the front and saw it was traffic checkpoint and we ended up being waved right through. I barely came to a complete stop. After half a mile of driving away in stunned silence I said, did they just wave us through because we're white? And it felt insane but neither of us could come up with a better reason.
Now I'm reading this book learning that not only do cops regularly racially profile people, but many states have that protection for inherent racism stitched right up into their laws.
This book is frustrating but necessary to read.
Now I'm reading this book learning that not only do cops regularly racially profile people, but many states have that protection for inherent racism stitched right up into their laws.
This book is frustrating but necessary to read.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
4.0
Fabulous on audio. It was spooky and the pacing was just quick enough that I was on the edge of my seat but not so fast it felt like a thriller. It felt like a really good horror podcast (which I'm always looking for).
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
4.0
Fast-paced and surprisingly heartfelt. Definitely one of the top zombie books I've ever read; even more impressive considering it's firmly YA and the protagonist is a stupid teenage boy (though he does grow as the story progresses). Looking forward to reading the rest (mostly because I love Tom).
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
5.0
I honestly don't know which story was more devastating: Krouse's own childhood of abuse, or the college rape case she worked on as a private investigator. Krouse examines her own life as she delves deeper into a university culture of assault and the devaluing of women. She uses her own trauma responses to help others, even as she still struggles with her relationship with her mother and family. It's a dark book but a hopeful one. Krouse is finding her peace, and you are left with the sense that the other victims will be able to do the same.