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marywahlmeierbracciano's reviews
805 reviews
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
4.5
The Serviceberry is Robin Wall Kimmerer’s inspiring call to action to reintroduce Indigenous wisdom into our society by way of the gift economy. This would mean allowing the cycle of resources to be less transactional and more personal, moving away from individual excess and towards mutual flourishing. She invites readers to see everything from nature as a gift—clean water, fresh produce, meat from animals—so long as it is freely given, and to keep the gift moving through the cycle of generosity. Growing up, I was often told to “trust that God will provide.” In a community of abundance and reciprocity, we can trust that our neighbors (human and more-than-human) will provide, so long as we do the same.
Your Farm by Jon Klassen
4.0
Your Farm feels like setting up a farm play set, but in book form. Jon Klassen's matter-of-fact style leaves room for readers to create a new story each time they read it. And it doubles as a bedtime book!
The Curse of Madame Petrova by Marjolijn Hof
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Travel to the 19th-century Netherlands in Marjolijn Hof’s The Curse of Madame Petrova! This dark, adventurous novel follows twin runaways who, before their birth, were predicted by a fortune teller to die by each other’s hand. Straightaway, they’re living off the land, but before long they’re forced to seek civilization. Gender roles are subverted, the tarot is a major theme, and the twins will learn hard lessons about money and lies. An especially satisfying read during the colder months, this book comes together so nicely at the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Jason Reynolds’s Twenty-Four Seconds from Now is like Judy Blume’s Forever, but from the perspective of a tender, shy, Black seventeen-year-old boy. It’s Neon and Aria’s two-year dating anniversary, and they want to have sex…now. The story rewinds in increments of twenty-four—seconds, minutes, hours, and finally twenty-four months before, when Neon and Aria first met. Neon’s colorful family adds humor and heart to this realistic story, which takes great care in doing the heavy lifting of normalizing teen sexuality. In Reynolds’s signature conversational yet poetic style, even sheltered readers will catch mentions of porn, masturbation, and, most especially, feeling nervous and excited about sex.
Shopkeeping: Stories, Advice, and Observations by Peter Miller
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Andrew Joseph White just doesn’t miss. Compound Fracture is yet another stunning, visceral novel from the absolute master of trans YA horror. Miles is proud of his Appalachian heritage, but it ain’t easy being an Abernathy. The brutal murder of his great-great-grandfather—an outspoken socialist, labor organizer, and coal miner—ignited a decades-long blood feud that has Miles beaten to within an inch of his life in the book’s first pages. What follows is a bloody, beautiful story about finding power in family—past and present, touching on radical politics, the opioid crisis, and trans erasure and with much-needed undiagnosed autistic representation. Dani Martineck’s narration is incredible. Read this instead of Hillbilly Elegy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Alcohol
Stranger Skies by Pascale Lacelle
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Drowned Gods Trilogy is perfect for anyone looking for a dark academia fix, but make it queer and all about the moon. Even more so than its predecessor, Stranger Skies is viscerally world-based, despite its taking place in multiple dimensions. The story alternates between two points in time and groups of characters—not quite mirror-images of each other—while also bringing to life a story within a story. In this breathless adventure, good and evil are not black and white, and only time can make clear the roles people will play. It takes its time at the beginning, but once it gets going it doesn’t stop! Everyone has a power to them that manifests in its own unique way. What they will do for power…now that’s another story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Suicide, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler
informative
4.75
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is an essential reference guide for natural birth control or pregnancy achievement. Since getting off the birth control pill, I’ve used it to get to know my cycle and my body, as the menstrual cycle–made invisible by hormonal birth control–is indicative of overall health. I highly recommend this to anyone who menstruates!
Freedom Is a Feast by Alejandro Puyana
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Freedom Is a Feast cleverly illustrates history’s repetition in both personal and political contexts via a multigenerational saga set in Venezuela. The story takes place around the rise and fall of Hugo Chávez, brought to power by revolution, only to cultivate corruption. In the 1960s, a young revolutionary falls in love, escapes capture, vows to free his friends, and is failed by the movement. A single mother is barely scraping by in 2002 when her son is shot in the midst of a coup, his life saved by a chance encounter. Regret, guilt, love—gained and lost—rage, survival. What does it take to be free?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy