While I agree with the messaging, I felt like the characters were caricatures of real people and that just didn't work for me. I didn't realize until over halfway through that I'd read from this author before and felt similarly about her writing so that's on me.

I was drawn to Mayra because it promises an unsettling backdrop to a reunion with an old friend and it almost delivers. I really enjoy the flashbacks and getting to know who Mayra and Ingrid were as children. Their friendship dynamic is something I think many women can relate to. There's something intimate and special and sometimes toxic in those first close friendship with other girls that is portrayed so accurately and smartly here. I was also interested in seeing them reunite against the backdrop of swampy, hot, Florida where there's no real way to contact the outside world. When it's revealed that Mayra's boyfriend is also staying in the house, I think the book started to lose me. He becomes such a big part of the dynamic and I simply didn't care. I also didn't really feel the stakes until the very end which I usually don't mind but because we were focused on things outside of Mayra's and Ingrid's relationship, I felt a bit checked out in the latter half.

I almost always have music playing and I spent the majority of 2024 and 2025 listening to noisy, chaotic, loud music but in the past few months I've been wanted a more relaxed sound and I was drawn to Bob Dylan. I've listened to Dylan off and on my whole life but growing up, my dad didn't really like him so I didn't get to listen often. Diving into this book has really inspired me in a lot of ways. About 100 pages into this book, I had to grab a notebook to keep with it so I could make notes. They range from books/music/movies to get my hands on, direct quotes from Dylan talking about his writing process and the way he approaches live performance, his friendships with other artists and activists, the way he talks about Joan Baez, the way he honors and shapes American art in a way that confronts the dark realities of our country, and comparing/contrasting Dylan as an artist with the conversations surrounding other musicians. I've got plans to keep taking notes as I go through some other Dylan related texts because I'm just fascinated right now and I might transcribe and clean some of them up somewhere else later but right now, I'm just so excited in a way I haven't been in a couple of years if I'm being honest.

Hey so if you have an eating disorder or struggle with food, don't read this.

I like The Future Saints but I think I was distracted while reading it because the premise is so similar to the videogame AfterLove EP. I finished that game late last year so it's still really fresh. I like Hannah as a character and watching her process grief is interesting and at the end, even heartbreaking. The romantic element didn't really feel necessary to me and that made the ending feel a bit ??? but in general, I think this is solid. Check out AfterLove EP if you like this one!!!

this comic collection is so funny!

i still don't know about the ethics of publishing this. regardless, I think there's some interesting discussions about parenting and how much someone's own upbringing impacts the way they raise their own children. I also found the balance between wanting to protect someone because they're not doing well but them not doing well because they feel overprotected compelling to read about. overall, it's an interesting read but not necessary to understanding Didion, I think.

so creepy! if you've watched the junji ito animes floating around, you know a lot of these stories. Ito is the master of horrific imagery that is often based in the mundane

Favorite stories: Blood Orb Grove Flesh-Colored Mystery

the ending is a bit abrupt but overall I think this is such a compelling graphic novel and parts of it are relatable to me which is something to think about.

Roshani Chokshi is masterful at writing stories that feel like fairytales. This also, for some reason, made me think of the first times I read The Magician's Nephew as a child. The ending feels slightly more bitter than sweet but I don't particularly mind it.

the way Dylan talks about his own music and other musicians will never not be interesting to me even if he's stretching the truth here and there.

alison bechdel really knows what I need to hear when I need to hear it. spent talks about money and relationships and getting older in a world that is constantly changing and on the cusp of destruction. she does it with realness and levity so I always leave with a sense of comfort.

The beginning is a bit like any other musician autobiography but it really gets interesting in the second half when he's focused more on how/why certain albums came to be. audiobook is great

somewhere between 3 and 3.5 there are great aspects of the writing and many of the characters are compelling but there are repetitive thoughts and conversations (not in a way that feels like it's adding to the story) and the way Ava Reid writes about fat people is off-putting the say the least.

Good information here and gives a lot to think about if you’re wanting to join existing mutual aid projects or organize something yourself. I would recommend reading this physically as it gets a bit dry listening to the narrator read a bunch of charts.

This went from okay to good to pissing me off to good again.

I NEED THE SEQUEL STAT

read this for the library book club I think this imagining of what happened in a real unsolved case is interesting especially in that it gives life to the women surrounding this missing man and prompts thought and discussion about the way women had to work within the confines of their limited autonomy at the time.

It's been difficult for me to connect to historical fiction in the past few years which is sad because it used to be my favorite genre. Kamali brought back my love for it through characters I really love. The Lion Women of Tehran took me on such an emotional journey from happiness to frustration to understanding to sadness straight through to the bittersweet ending. I miss Homa and Ellie already.

Maybe this says something about me but all the reviews rating this low because the MC is unlikable are baffling because I didn't find her to be unlikable at all (also I think that being the only reason to rate anything low is a little boring).

sometimes the non linear timeline got a bit convoluted but once things fell into place, I really enjoyed this!

if you know me, you know this is my perfect book. it's about two people who love music so deeply. it's about people with such a complex and messy relationship and I found myself sad at times for them (esp Percy). I didn't want to clock back into work so I could finish it. I wanted to cancel plans to finish it. I love this book

There are a lot of sections of this that I enjoyed. I like the way Potts situates Sunny in the larger context of comedy and what this show does well while still being conscious of criticism and taking that seriously. I also like the mapping of the show over time to see how it got as far as it did. What really bogged this down were the chapters that just seemed like recapping episodes and the repeating of information that acted as if I haven't been reading the book the whole time.

Beautiful writing Interesting characters There's something about the end I don't like but can't put my finger on

Third read in preparation for the last book in the series what a good time! true enemies to lovers with genuinely shocking twists and that cliffhanger ending??? incredible!

The ending raised this half a star. I love historical horror so much and this story of a woman gaining autonomy while also having something to say about the spread of Christianity through colonialism and how violent and devastating that was really did it for me. My fav Isabel Cañas so far!

reread before I pick up the last one in the series! definitely different from the first one and the dynamics are changed greatly but the way the ending sets things up is so compelling!