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alltheradreads's reviews
1804 reviews
The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
3.0
i’m currently watching my first ever season of @rupaulsdragrace (!!) and it has truly opened up a whole new world to me. the art of drag was never something i was exposed to, or understood, or was taught to appreciate, and i am SO GLAD i have a community of friends around me now who love this world and have invited me into celebrating it alongside of them. what a gift. 🤍✨
i truly knew NOTHING about rupaul before watching the show (yikes, i know) and was so excited to see a new memoir from him as an ALC from @librofm! it explores ru’s early life as a queer Black kid growing up in san diego all the way through his exploration of art, identity, love, community, and place as an adult. it’s the backstory of rupaul andre charles before he really became the queen we all know today, and it gave me a lot of context i didn’t have before!
to sum up much of the content: it was a LOT of drugs (holy moly) before he finally got sober, a lot of cross country roadtrips, a lot of trial and error with performing, and then things all seeming to click into place beautifully (almost too easily?).
i listened on audio, read by rupaul, which was great! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this memoir— i liked it
i truly knew NOTHING about rupaul before watching the show (yikes, i know) and was so excited to see a new memoir from him as an ALC from @librofm! it explores ru’s early life as a queer Black kid growing up in san diego all the way through his exploration of art, identity, love, community, and place as an adult. it’s the backstory of rupaul andre charles before he really became the queen we all know today, and it gave me a lot of context i didn’t have before!
to sum up much of the content: it was a LOT of drugs (holy moly) before he finally got sober, a lot of cross country roadtrips, a lot of trial and error with performing, and then things all seeming to click into place beautifully (almost too easily?).
i listened on audio, read by rupaul, which was great! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this memoir— i liked it
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
5.0
this! book! is! magical! ✨
truly, @tiawilliamswrites, your brain is a wonderland and this is a treasure that i was not at all prepared for. it blew me away and was an absolutely captivating story of music and flowers, family and love, desire and dreams, and the twists and tangles of time.
it was a slow burn but a beautiful one, and such a celebration of Black Harlem and epic love stories and making art no matter what.
truly, @tiawilliamswrites, your brain is a wonderland and this is a treasure that i was not at all prepared for. it blew me away and was an absolutely captivating story of music and flowers, family and love, desire and dreams, and the twists and tangles of time.
it was a slow burn but a beautiful one, and such a celebration of Black Harlem and epic love stories and making art no matter what.
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
4.0
this is such a hard one to review because holy moly, the subject matter is daaaaaark and intense and so incredibly traumatic. but also, wow, it’s powerful, and gritty, and compelling, and disturbing, and gut-wrenching, but all in such a masterfully crafted way… i both didn’t want to read it because of how much it impacted me emotionally and was impressed by that at the very same turn and was so intrigued to know how it would play out… cosby is a gifted, gifted writer. wow. wow. wow.
Luster by Raven Leilani
2.0
february’s pick for #alltheradreadsbookclubtook me the whole month to get through… it made me feel SO anxious, uncomfy, and just… sad.
but also, it was written with such sharp precision and frank unfiltered rawness that i was also impressed.
the self-awareness and narration of feeling, desire, action, and observation was truly remarkable, to the very point of stirring up those feelings of uncomfortablility in me… but maybe that’s the beauty of it? maybe an unlikable character who acts on her impulses and does things i’d never imagine doing not meant to be liked but meant to stir something in me? IT DID, for real!
but also, it was written with such sharp precision and frank unfiltered rawness that i was also impressed.
the self-awareness and narration of feeling, desire, action, and observation was truly remarkable, to the very point of stirring up those feelings of uncomfortablility in me… but maybe that’s the beauty of it? maybe an unlikable character who acts on her impulses and does things i’d never imagine doing not meant to be liked but meant to stir something in me? IT DID, for real!
Blindsided by Eden Finley
3.0
was i bored during the super bowl to the point where i started imagining a world in which players from the teams were secretly in love with each other? yes. yes, indeed. and then i went on kindle unlimited and found that very plot and read that book. no regrets!!! it was steamy and wild and fun!