Kalliope

(Reread, obviously.)
Where many people love this the most of all the Harry Potter books, PoA is probably my second favorite installment in the series (Sorcerer's Stone is number one). Then again, that might change as I work through the rest of the books. It HAS been quite a while since I've read the series!
This one has such great intrigue and mystery, taking it into a slightly more mature territory than the first two. This is such an amazing quality of the books that I can't quite put my finger on how it's done: they mature along with both their main characters, and their audiences.
The introduction of new characters (Trelawney, Lupin, and of course Sirius Black himself) is so welcomed. Each one has their own, completely unique voice and energy.
This book also has an incredibly satisfying ending scene.
I'm now going to listen to the Real Weird Sisters talk about this book on their amazing podcast, and then move on to the fourth!

A Good Man Is Hard To Find: 5 stars

The River: 3.5 stars

The Life You Save May Be Your Own: 5 stars

A Stroke Of Good Fortune: 3 stars

A Temple Of The Holy Ghost: 2 stars

The Artificial Nigger: 3 stars

A Circle In The Fire: 4 stars

A Late Encounter With The Enemy: 3.5 stars

Good Country People: 4.5 stars

The Displaced Person: 4 stars

Incredible poetry, the type I aspire to write myself. This is very much the type of poetry I enjoy, though I can't put my finger on why exactly. VERY triggering, though, at least for the first half. It deals with a lot of heavy topics like sexual assault, and for my own sense of peace at the holidays, I hope to conquer the second half some other time.

I picked this up expecting a steamy, cheesecakey BDSM romance and that's exactly what I got. Some other reviewers bemoan the story's unrealistic qualities, but those didn't bother me. In my mind, that's why people read books like this–it's fun! In fact, it was quite fun to buy into the fantasy of a gorgeous and uber-wealthy woman paying off your student loans for you, when she's no more than 10 years your elder. The BDSM scenes were well-done and mindful of the realities of how to engage in BDSM safely, sanely, and consensually. This, I'd say, is the book's highest merit. I'd recommend this book to someone who is unfamiliar with BDSM outside the incredibly unhealthy dynamic featured in 50 Shades of Grey. The book didn't sufficiently hold my attention throughout, though. The scenes that did not specifically involve Mel and Vanessa's relationship were often boring and bordering on telenovela-esque. Oh, well. It's a short book, and the steamy scenes more than make up for the stale parts in between them. Really enjoyed it and will definitely explore other f/f fiction for a treat. :)

Sometimes funny, always zany and surreal. Not nearly as funny as When You Are Engulfed in Flames. The main thing bringing the rating down for me was the fact that this book shuffles nonfiction essays and fiction short stories. Jumping from one to another was jarring, and most of the fiction stories (save “The Last You'll Ever Hear from Me,” “Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2,” and “Parade”) missed the mark for me. In no way does this mean I'm giving up on Sedaris. This is his first book and as far as I can tell, it's his lowest-rated. I was really pleased with WYAEIF and, so far, Holidays on Ice is a lot of fun! :)

This book came out in 1975, yet it's amazingly honest, comfortable, and sex-positive. Judy Blume presents sex not as a foreign thing or a sinful thing, but as a thing real teenagers do and talk about. It is neither preachy nor lenient, neither lewd nor prudish. In this story, sex just is what it is. She covers birth control, Planned Parenthood, pregnancy, abortion, and the emotional side to a physical relationship. Blume also does not pretend that a girl's first time is the way it is in other books (unbearably painful or unimaginably blissful, take your pick), nor is her first sexual partner the only one she will ever have in her life. Honest is the best way to describe this book. The main character, Katherine, becomes sexually active in a natural way, and makes real, natural decisions. I didn't read anything that was unrealistic or cliche. This was my first time reading it, and I definitely think this should be something girls read before making decisions about their bodies and their relationships.

I loved this! This is another Blume book I didn't read when I was younger, but I know I would have loved it then. Blume's writing is ever charming and relatable, more so here than in Forever for me. Margaret's comments about her friends, school, and growing up hearken back to when I was that age, when I was having very similar thoughts. I was never the kind of preteen who hoped and hoped to get my period or to wear a bra (wise beyond my years!). I loved all the characters and the things they talked about, especially Margaret's friends and their breast obsession. I pretty much knew going in that I would love the book, but what surprised me were the religious themes. They weren't heavy-handed or partisan at all; they presented themselves naturally, the way a real child would think about them. I'd definitely recommend this to female readers young and old!

To quote Sean Spicer, aka Spicey, “You can't make this shit up.” Fire and Fury is funny, dishy, and almost unbelievable–and yet. However, Wolff often tries to cram too many ideas into one sentence, sacrificing clarity for sensationalism. I agree partly with other reviewers who say that there's little here that most people don't already know, or couldn't hear about elsewhere. I also often questioned how in the world Wolff was privy to certain statements or conversations. For instance, how in the world did he overheard Ivanka walking down the steps on her cell phone, saying, “I know it's a mess, we're trying to fix it”? There are statements made in here that someone like me, a researcher and a cynic, would want to double-check, but there aren't any footnotes in the book.
Wolff is also clearly awed by Steve Bannon, who arguably acts as the subject of this book more than Trump does. The book is subtitled Inside the Trump White House, meaning that it is more about the staff than The Donald. Wolff mostly focuses on Bannon's relationship with Jarvanka, Jarvanka's relationship with Bannon, and any other combination. Trump is treated like the elephant in the room, like something that has already occurred despite everyone's best efforts and must now be managed as discreetly as possible.
Overall, I started out with the book feeling like I was being let in on a juicy secret, but more than halfway through, it got stale and hard to follow. Take this review for what it is, though; I'd wager that those of you who are reading it either have already read the book, or have no plans to do so.

I've heard people say that this is the best book you could possibly read to learn more about Tarot. I don't know if I'd agree with that, because, for my purposes, this book left a lot to be desired. I can definitely recognize the author's amount of education and experience with the Tarot, but this book had way more information than I really needed to go out and do a reading for someone else (or even myself). No way would I recommend this book for a beginner in the Tarot. This is strictly for someone who wants a billion different interpretations (bordering on rambles) on each component of each card. Oftentimes I would read her description of what a particular card means, and walk away with more questions than answers. I also don't understand why she discussed the cards in each suit from King to Ace, rather than from Ace to King. Pollack's interpretations and way of writing simply did not appeal to me or offer any valuable information. I don't feel like I could use much of her work in my own divination.

(Reread, obviously)
This is my very favorite book in the series. There is just something so comforting and cozy about it. Rowling does an incredible job putting together her world piece by piece, so we are experiencing it right alongside Harry. There is this indelible sense of wonder that, even though it's my umpteenth read, follows and covers the reader like a familiar blanket.
There is also the perfect amount of humor in this book. I've read this particular one more times than I can count, yet it still makes me laugh out loud. Whether I read the book or listen to the audiobook, I can see the funny parts coming and still relish in them when they arrive, as if it was my first read.
Also, anyone who knows me knows my very favorite character in the series is the one and only Rubeus Hagrid. This book has LOTS of Hagrid bits. I just adore him, and therefore I love this book.
I just...there aren't enough words to say about this book. So much love. <3

I really enjoy Phoebe's podcast 2 Dope Queens so I thought I'd give her book a shot. It's not quite a Bossypants or a Let's Pretend This Never Happened on the level of laughs. It's more reminiscent of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” but with more snappy speech, more cultural references (a lot of cultural references) and social/racial commentary. Phoebe's tone, even when discussing heavy topics like profiling, is cheerful and young. I found the references a bit overkill at times, and that they took away from the message a bit. This is a short book, but I still feel like it could have been tightened up even more. The best part of this book are her thoughts on topics I take for granted but that Black women have to deal with every day. They are written maturely, but not morosely. I'd recommend this to someone who also listens to 2 Dope Queens, or someone who doesn't but loves books by female comics.

Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with cults. As soon as this book showed up on my radar, I knew I had to read it and I knew I'd love it, too. And love it I did.
From what I can tell, most books dealing with cults are nonfiction, which can be heavy reads emotionally. This is a partly biographical book, very clearly inspired by the Mansons, taking place in 1960s California. But Cline does an amazing job of making it her own world, using eclectic and fantastical ways to describe the ordinary and the disturbing. Her prose alone deserves five stars.
My biggest complaint, though I really did enjoy the book, is that the author spent more time in places that weren't terribly important for the development of the larger story. Though this is a book about a girl who joins a cult, we really don't spend much time with the cult, or with the cult leader for that matter. I was hungry for more cult screentime, but what I got was present-day Evie tolerating characters who weren't particularly interesting, and who disappear before the book's conclusion. Prior to the murder, there is nothing to indicate that the cult is willing and able to kill anyone. I think that if Evie had been present for the murder (which happens in the last 40 pages of the book, making it feel sort of like an afterthought), we would have gotten to see more buildup and a more satisfying climax. We would have gotten to see the cult's descent from harmless hippies to the obedient murderers we came for.
This book NEEDS an extra 100 pages to hit my sweet spot. As it stands, though, I came away somewhat unsatisfied with how the story played out. How about a “sequel” from Suzanne's perspective, Emma Cline?

There's no denying that this is a powerful, inspiring story. Somaly Mam is an incredible person. It seems harsh to criticize the life story of a woman with no connection to her biological family who was sold into prostitution as a child, still haunted by torment and shame. As the story of someone's tragic childhood and adolescence, there should be no judgment. However, the book is clearly written by someone who is not a native English speaker, and I tend to connect more deeply with more fluent and capable writing.

I didn't finish this. Similarly to The Road of Lost Innocence, I recognize that this is a good story. However, it was monotone and even and bereft of personality. If I cannot connect to the speaker as a person and not as words on a page, it is difficult for me to connect with the story. If nothing else, the book introduced me to the Hmong people and their strife during the late 1970s and 1980s in Laos.