moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
588 reviews

Forest of Noise: Poems by Mosab Abu Toha

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emotional reflective

5.0


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I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

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dark tense
  • 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? Yes

4.0


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Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross

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informative medium-paced

3.0

This was interesting and definitely made me feel encouraged to continue doing art. It brings in a lot of neat things happening with people using art for healing. But there was a disconnect for me. So much of the conclusion spoke to individualism, which seemed to be the antithesis of so much of the majority of how art was being used in the book. And even before then, there were bits about business that I didn't care for and not a lot on marginalized people and art (save for the section on Indigenous people which had some good information but still seemed to be framed in an off-putting way... especially given the individualism in a lot of its analysis). Don't get me wrong, this is a huge topic. I get that every facet of art won't be covered. But for me, hearing about a CEO discovering the existence of ~the innovative power of music ~ or whatever is just not interesting. I could say more but I'll stop there. However it does start an interesting conversation and has some cool info on art. I picked it up with no expectations and got a bit out of it, even if I found some of it's analysis to be lacking. 

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Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There was a lot I really liked about this. The relationship was cute and well paced, not forced (although I had to have a laugh at how similar the feelings of supposed hatred sounded like attraction). The friendships in this really shined as well, I'd say as much or more than the romantic relationship. There was also really good discussion of mental health and complicated family dynamics. Even with the resolution being maybe too clean to be realistic, I do think they were able do explore a decent amount of nuance. And I've got to say, I'm not a sports gay, but by the time we get to the big game at the half way point, I think I had a decent idea of what was going on game-wise which speaks to the author's writing and the way that the game play ends up being integrated into the scene I think. 

I'm kind of mad it took me so long to get to this, but once I got started, I read it in a little over a day. A nice start to my reading year!

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Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences by Sarah Schulman

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informative reflective

3.0

In it's time, a lot of this would have been groundbreaking. While we discuss concepts like familial homophobia with more nuance today, it was nice to see an earlier work about it. Seeing Schulman's own experience with this was impactful and definitely added to this. 

The biggest thing I got out of this is that *we* as a community can be the solution to a lot of things. As cheesy as it may sound, speaking out can do so much in interpersonal situations. And homophobia at large has justified abuses and lessened the likelihood that people will speak out. A lot of what she said makes me very excited to read Conflict is Not Abuse, which she published quite a while later. 

I do think it could have been more developed in some ways and it really would have benefited from research backing her points. The question of course would be, were there people out there doing psychology or sociology research on familial homophobia? It was probably slim, so I understand her decision to lean on her own experiences here. 

I also take issue with some of her proposed solutions. She mentions things like bringing in court-ordered therapy and relying on the state to diffuse certain situations. I don't think that is viable (and I'm not even sure whether or not the author would either at this point). There is also a lot that would have benefited a lot by an analysis of race in all of this as well. These, like the bit around gay marriage, I think says more about the state of discourse then (which is valuable to understand I think). 

Over all, it was a neat read. Not her best, but it meditates on important topics, many of which remain relevant, and definitely tells us something about its time.

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No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay by Julian Aguon

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informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

This was an essay collection that covers topics including climate change, colonialism, grief, writing, and more. There are some really strong essays in here as well as a few that had points that I felt really needed more. So in this way, I think that some of this would have benefitted from being longer form to dig into nuances that are sometimes mentioned only briefly. But this covers a lot of really interesting and important ground overall, especially looking at the environment, the military, and what is happening politically in Guam 

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Rifqa by Mohammed El-Kurd

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challenging emotional reflective

5.0

An incredible poetry collection! It's one that will live in my head for a long time, and one I'm sure I will revisit. Haunting, layered, and full of literary and historical references

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No Study Without Struggle: Confronting the Legacy of Settler Colonialism in Higher Education by Leigh Patel

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informative reflective

4.25

This had so much great information about the university's ties to settler colonialism and how education exists necessarily outside of the university and is necessary to oppose settler colonialism. This brings up a lot of great history and concepts that are essential to understand. I do think it could have been better organized in some sections, particularly towards the end, it felt rushed or incomplete (for instance, there could have been a more rigorous dive into modern student protests. And I don't think online organizing or education was really considered well enough). That being said, I do think this is a really great read and important particularly for people who are in academia, have been in it, or are considering a future in it. 
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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informative inspiring reflective

4.0

Short but effective, this uses the serviceberry (as it is in nature, but also in the author's life specifically) as a jumping off point to put together actionable ways that we could have a more caring and connected world. 
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read 20 pages of this yesterday and the other 320 today. Holy shit! Definitely one you won't want to put down. I am obsessed with the setting and how perfect of a role it played and the fact that such incredible (often overlooked) history was integral to it. The queer rep was great, particularly because of the nuanced conversions that were happening. I also don't think I've ever felt so seen by autistic rep in a fiction book. I really appreciate the overt discussion of politics and community was in this as well. 

I can't beleive it's taken me this long to read Andrew Joseph White but I am so excited that there are at least two others to read (also a little scared if this is the least supernatural and horror of the bunch as some people have said... but scared in a good way!)

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