Category Archives: Uncategorized

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10 I liked this book because it provided clear, strong arguments as to why the current mass incarceration problem in the US is the new Jim Crow. I was aware of the incarceration problem because I had seen the documentary 13TH before, but it was greatContinue reading “The New Jim Crow Review”

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10 This was sort of reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode. I enjoyed the book a lot – it was very well written (I would have expected nothing less from Margaret Atwood) and the topics are extremely relevant today. I’d say a major theme would be theContinue reading “The Handmaid’s Tale Review”

The Shining by Stephen King Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10 A couple days ago, I was in the middle of the book The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr, reading about the research he’s done into how and why good stories are so good. He’s done a ton of research, and I found his arguments logical andContinue reading “The Shining Review”

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10 The story and the writing were amazing. I couldn’t put the latter half of the book down. That being said, I thought the characters were a tad shallow. Mia and Pearl were the “underdogs” fighting against white suburbia, with its planned neighborhoods and outward perfection. AtContinue reading “Little Fires Everywhere Review”

Memories of My Ghost Brother by Heinz Insu Fenkl Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10 This book was unique because it told the story of a half-German, half-Korean boy growing up in Korea after the Korean War, when American GIs were still stationed throughout South Korea, and the Vietnam War was ongoing. It’s a time period I hadContinue reading “Memories of My Ghost Brother Review”

This is long overdue (I’m writing this in APRIL 2020), but I wanted to quickly recap the books I read in 2019 (not including my January books, because I foolishly made a post for them already). In the future, I’ll try to make a blog post for every book I finish, even if I haveContinue reading “2019 Book Review”

On Writing by Stephen King Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10 I read On Writing because I just wanted to become a better storyteller. But his tips on becoming an okay-ish, or maybe if you’re lucky, a good, fiction writer were applicable in pretty much any other area that requires hard work and dedication. On Writing is notContinue reading “On Writing Review”

Columbine by Dave Cullen Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10 Reading Columbine felt like narrating a gripping Netflix documentary to myself. I finished it in maybe ten hours of reading? Twelve? And it was ten hours of focused reading because I was anxious to read more — not the ten hours of unmotivated reading I do with aContinue reading “Columbine Review”

The Secret History by Donna Tartt Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10 I traded Where the Crawdads Sing for this book (with Nancy), and based on the number stars I gave that book and the number of stars I’m giving this book, it wasn’t a very good trade. But if you think of it as how many totalContinue reading “The Secret History Review”

Men Without Women by Delia Owens Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10 Being in quarantine means I have a lot more time to read. I ordered Where the Crawdads Sing on Amazon not because I specifically sought out the book, but because I needed another purchase to make shipping free (I was ordering a tripod, and I don’tContinue reading “Where the Crawdads Sing Review”