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katyjean81's reviews
1318 reviews
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian
5.0
This book is guiding me through my foray into home brewing. Here's hoping he's as smart as he sounds. Either way, I'm going to relax and have a home brew.
Annabel by Kathleen Winter
4.0
I Loved it, capital "L"!
At times I felt it was a little heavy on the lengthy prose, but it was always beautiful. I'd love to hear what others think about this novel. I think that one of the things about this book is that it's not meant to be devoured, but slowly digested over several weeks/days, depending on how you like to read. It spans many years of the main character's life, and it is too much too handle if you rush it. There are many, many beautiful passages which require reflection.
I thought it was an insightful piece about gender (of course) but also family, friendships, personal destiny, the meaning of happiness, love: all of the things a good novel should touch on. It was funny, sad and hopeful. Also, while my extended family is not from Labrador, my relatives are from Cape Breton Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia and I have spent a good deal of time there in the summers. I think Ms. Winter did an excellent job of developing the strong, quiet nature of men and women who endure those long cold winters and economies which often rely on nature.
It was a powerful story which echoes elements of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides while offering a fresh perspective on the Intersex experience and our culture's definition of gender identity.
I vote Yes! for Annabel.
At times I felt it was a little heavy on the lengthy prose, but it was always beautiful. I'd love to hear what others think about this novel. I think that one of the things about this book is that it's not meant to be devoured, but slowly digested over several weeks/days, depending on how you like to read. It spans many years of the main character's life, and it is too much too handle if you rush it. There are many, many beautiful passages which require reflection.
I thought it was an insightful piece about gender (of course) but also family, friendships, personal destiny, the meaning of happiness, love: all of the things a good novel should touch on. It was funny, sad and hopeful. Also, while my extended family is not from Labrador, my relatives are from Cape Breton Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia and I have spent a good deal of time there in the summers. I think Ms. Winter did an excellent job of developing the strong, quiet nature of men and women who endure those long cold winters and economies which often rely on nature.
It was a powerful story which echoes elements of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides while offering a fresh perspective on the Intersex experience and our culture's definition of gender identity.
I vote Yes! for Annabel.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi
3.0
Overall, this book was pretty good. I was regularly asked, "How is it?" as I was reading Portia de Rossi's account of being an anorexic and a bulimic and all I could say was "She was CRAZY!". And she really was. I think that's one of the biggest things I took away from this story, was the level of true neurosis involved in eating disorders. I also think it does a good job of showing that while outsiders can help break some cracks in your deluded self-image, the true decision to change has to come form within the disordered person. As a child and adolescent, I also definitely struggled with my eatings habits, and I imagine that anyone who has struggled with eating and food in any way will find pieces of themselves reflected in this memoir.
The writing is actually pretty good. I'm under the impression that she wrote this herself, without a ghost writer. While I would have appreciated a few more page breaks, an argument could also be made that at times when event seems to blend into another in her writing, it's because it felt the same way in her actual life. As a memoir, the important thing here is not the writing itself but the delivery of her story. She did an excellent job of helping the reader to understand how she became so incredibly ill, essentially by accident. At the end, I found myself staying up late to find out how she got better (and, okay, to find out how she snagged Ellen Degeneres).
In terms of lgbtq literature, I feel that this is an authentic example because Portia's issues were rooted deeply in her sexuality, amongst other things. At times I just wanted to scream at her "Get over yourself and get out there and date! Being gay is not a big deal! And you're gorgeous!". But if it were that easy, people wouldn't hide in the closet for so long in so many ways.
If you have an interest in Portia de Rossi, eating disorders, celebrity memoirs, or the world of acting and modeling, then this book is worth a read.
The writing is actually pretty good. I'm under the impression that she wrote this herself, without a ghost writer. While I would have appreciated a few more page breaks, an argument could also be made that at times when event seems to blend into another in her writing, it's because it felt the same way in her actual life. As a memoir, the important thing here is not the writing itself but the delivery of her story. She did an excellent job of helping the reader to understand how she became so incredibly ill, essentially by accident. At the end, I found myself staying up late to find out how she got better (and, okay, to find out how she snagged Ellen Degeneres).
In terms of lgbtq literature, I feel that this is an authentic example because Portia's issues were rooted deeply in her sexuality, amongst other things. At times I just wanted to scream at her "Get over yourself and get out there and date! Being gay is not a big deal! And you're gorgeous!". But if it were that easy, people wouldn't hide in the closet for so long in so many ways.
If you have an interest in Portia de Rossi, eating disorders, celebrity memoirs, or the world of acting and modeling, then this book is worth a read.
"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum
5.0
This book is excellent. I am certainly moving along the spectrum racial identity, slowly but surely. When I first started this book, I was unable to finish it because my guilt and frustration was eclipsing my need to learn and grow as a result of this book. I think this an important book for anyone to read, but particularly for educators. Dr. Tatum speaks with frankness and openness, using real world examples to support her points.