want me by Tracy Clark-Flory

idk if i missed something here but some of the reviews on Another Site tm kind of maybe felt like we were going in with one expectation and finished reading it disappointed. i thought i would find this book enlightening, because i feel like it's meant to be that and advertised as such - one person's account meant to illuminate and inspire your own lived experiences. i found weaving statistics and feminist philosophical commentary confusing. i found the juxtaposition of her personal life and what she observes for her job too clumsy to work; honestly i was following a thread and it started to fray towards the end. the last few chapters i found a chore to read . please, i would rather have read 10 more pages of her analysis of going to magic mike live than her tribulations on childbirth, but i guess she had to vent, idk. i just didn't find it relevant in the context of this book, i'm sorry! maybe write a separate book about the tribulations of motherhood, bc imo she did not analyse her motherhood x sexuality enough. she started talking about being horny all the time during her pregnancy, then not being able to do it because of her baby bump and then!!??? and then ???!!!!!!!! also suddenly she's with her other mom friends and what about her friends who choose to not go that route? it's bizarre to not also explore sexuality and age outside heteronormativity, or marriage, or like, from a POV of pornstars and/or unconventional fetishists. but there wasn't space for this...BECAUSE balancing analyses with a memoir left a lot lacking from either side here. on a positive note, i think she's a good writer, if not a bit too heavy-handed with metaphors which makes it hard to follow her train of thought- wait positive...positive...the first part of the book was good and interesting :D i think if u want to read it, just know that you're reading a memoir above all.

half of a yellow sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

One of the best books I've read in a long time. I am not usually partial to multiple narrative POVs, but this really worked. Sometimes novels set in real-life past events tend to be too exposition-y, but Adichie seemed to make it work through what is arguably THE exposition character. All the characters were so honest and human and they're approached with a lot of nuance, including the main white protag. Maybe the only thing is like, it could be read as like a "both sides are bad" viewpoint, but Adichie also bases these characters on real people she knew who lived through this war, and I think it's a surprise to no-one that hierarchies and top-down governance are inherently violent. It's tragic and bittersweet, but the closing plot thread really broke me. Amazing, amazing, amazing novel.

tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

i love this book about life and love and friendships and mistakes and regrets and forgiveness and assumptions and interpersonal relationships and communication (!!!). very beautiful and poignant and written alluringly. very rich rich rich characters yum yum yum i eat that . maybe plot was a bit like wow more stuff could not happen to these ppl but its more about the characters than their story anyway. rating: 17 games

empire of borders: the expansion of the US border around the world by Todd Miller

Empire of Borders is an incredibly well-written work about how the US border is more than the structures we see in and around the physical perimeters of the US. Miller talks about how the US Customs and Border Protection has a monopoly on security, surveillance and quite simply, what is an attempt at separating the working class from the bourgeoisie. This book was published in 2019, and seems more topical than ever. Miller covers borders, border patrols and checkpoints, and even conferences celebrating and pushing for a surveillance state, starting from Central America to Israel to Kenya. He highlights the reasons people might want to cross a border and humanizes both the refugees and low-rank soldiers working at the border (but not in a bootlicky way). Miller attempts to end on a lighter note that kind of shows alternatives to borders or less rigorous bordering, citing the Maasai people as an example. I say attempt because, well, the overall tone is very bleak, and I think more could have been written about the alternatives but... maybe it was out of the scope of this book. Maybe Miller doesn't see an alternative coming into fruition but still wanted to end on a less depressing note. Regardless, I think it's an important read, and Miller's way of writing is personable, which makes the book really accessible for everyone.

look at me by Anita Bookner

i said "hey i want to read a book that encompasses female loneliness in a cathartic way" and anita delivered. admittedly slow and meandering and overdescriptive in some parts in a remains of the day kinda way but very in character. kinda scary because i think this is a good stepping point about emotional avoidance for therapists or ppl in therapy. maybe dont read if ure in a mood .

2001: a space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

amazing. really amazing. thank you.

the haunting of hill house by Shirley Jackson

really good, really thrilling, really fun book. haven't been truly thrilled and creeped out by a horror story in a while and this hit the spot. the start was a bit slow, almost boring, but once you get into it, whew, i couldn't put this book down. jackson had an intense way of writing scenes and interactions and sequences - very bizarre but not difficult to follow; it's jarring in the way that it reflects the setting of the book. and following the character's thought processes as well was fascinating and gripping.

i also thought it was interesting that this book was set in the 60s - it was one of those transitional eras, i think - times were changing, the way characters were interacting with each other was a bit unusual to me; like, okay it was formal-ish, the way they talked was still "old"-ish but not like anything you'd read from the 20s and for me not TOOOO difficult to understand. all this to say that the writing style reflected the era the book was written, and i appreciated that.

this could maybe be one of the OGs of psych horrors, and im not like, IN LOVE with it, but i highly recommend it.