cosmicbookworm's reviews
309 reviews

In "Outside the Lines," Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister who identifies as queer, explores how adopting a queer mindset can transform one's faith. Despite positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, along with a recommendation from a friend and a forward by Rachel Held Evans, my expectations for the book were not met.

While I appreciated the author's personal story and found some topics interesting, certain aspects didn't align with my language preferences. For example, the chapter titled "Blessed Are the Promiscuous" uses language that might be considered alarming, though the application is different from what one might expect. Kim-Kort's use of the term "queer" also extends beyond my own interpretation of the word. The book seemed somewhat repetitive at times and, in some instances, meandered off course.

I believe the marketing of the book could be reconsidered to avoid potentially alarming Christians who might be deterred by the expected content. The central theme of embracing differences resonates with me, and I agree with the importance of fostering acceptance of others.

The story is about the 3rd Party candidacy of the newly founded Maverick Party, and about what could happen if, in a presidential contest, nobody reaches the 270 vote threshold that would win them the election. It is thought-provoking and frightening. The idea that scandal is needed in order for a candidate to be popular is disturbing. With Andrew Yang having run for the candidacy in the last presidential election cycle he has inside knowledge of what actually goes on. It is unclear what parts of the novel are true and what parts are simply possibilities or speculation.

I found "The Last Election" to be heavy-handed messaging disguised as a novel. It is slow-moving at times but thought-provoking. There is way more sexual content than necessary....unless everyone in Washington really is a pervert who has no respect for women...including the women. Who knows - maybe Yang and Marche are calling it as it is. If so everyone in Washington should be ousted.

The representation of the press being unwilling to put stories in print that the American public has a right to know about or should be aware of is frightening. I don't know who of my peers I would recommend this book to, but there are ideas presented that we should all be able to try to wrap our minds around. The idea of a Contingent Election was never brought up in Government class.

“Little Fires Everywhere” is my first exposure to Celeste Ng. What a gifted storyteller! My next move will be to put her other works on my TBR list.

“Little Fires Everywhere” is a complex and layered study of human behavior, societal norms and expectations, racial relations, family structure and so much more.

This is our book club read for next month and I'm really looking forward to the discussion. There is so much to think about here.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Cenk Uygur for an opportunity to review an ARC of the audiobook. “Justice Is Coming” is an honest look at the destructive corruption of our political system. It is clear, concise, and well-written and presented with passion. Cenk Uyghur reveals corruption in government and the media and how both are bent in favor of corporations and not the common good. We repeatedly see demonstrations of the concept of “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” (Upton Sinclair) and repeatedly see why it is important to follow the money. “In a system built on private financing of politicians, you will always have politicians serving private interests.” Cenk makes the case that America is much more progressive than we are being told, but that the press (from Fox News to MSNBC) agree that the progressives must not be allowed to win. At the point in time when my attention starts to wain, and I’m just about ready to give up, we learn that while the average age of a person in America is 38, the average age of a CNN viewer is 64 and the average age of a Fox or MSNBC viewer is 68. Cenk contends that while the mainstream media is the “marketing arm for corporate rule” we have a rising generation of people who no longer listen to the political propaganda that is stacked against us.

Marla Taviano is a kindred spirit. Reading through her poems in “Unbelieve” is like walking down the path that my transformation has taken over the last several years. She brings to light many of the authors that I have read and introduces me to some that are now on my TBR list. The name of the book may be off-putting to Christians, but it is not about giving up Jesus but it is about moving away from some of the man-made evangelical thought that no longer rings true. Don't let the title scare you. Marla believes in God. Marla believes in Jesus. She just might not believe everything we hear from the pulpit. A warning for those wanting to use this for a book club discussion, we used it in our poetry group. I had the updated version and everyone else had an older version. Our page numbers did not match and the book was not organized in the same manner. Make sure you use the same version it will help your discussion!

Illuminating Darwin: Arabella’s Light by Jill George gives us insight into the life of Arabella Buckley who was instrumental in the work of Sir Charles Lyell (geologist), her employer, and Charles Darwin. Buckley was a vicar’s daughter that was more interested in her love of science and using her writing skills in a meaningful way than in living out a traditional life of a wife and mother as society would dictate. As with all young women of her time, attending a university was not an option. That didn’t stop Arabella. Through her relationship with Lyell, Darwin and others she became an extremely educated woman without a degree to show for it. Although she was an extremely important popularizer of science in the Victorian era, few of her letters still exist. Jill George has done an excellent job of creating a plausible life story for Arabella Buckley. This is historical fiction at its best. I learned a lot by reading this work and am inspired as well. Thank you Jill George for illuminating the life of Arabella Buckley. Thank you BookSirens, Heinze Quill Publishing and the author for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.