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read: 260701 - 260705

★★★☆☆ (3.25)

i enjoy reading retellings of greek mythology a lot so this is a book I was very excited for. and i am a bit disappointed that I did not enjoy it as much as i thought it would.

throughout my reading i had to remind myself that medea was very young while these events were taking place. her naivety, innocence, and impulsive thoughts and actions came from a place of being so young and sheltered to the point she jumped at the first glimpse of a chance to escape.

her naivety of the world and the actions of men are things she only possesses because of her age and how sheltered she was. reading it as someone who no longer has that naivety was frustrating but i also felt a bit of sadness in realizing i no longer had that belief in the world and the people in it.

read: 260622 - 260624

★★★★☆ (3.75)

i really liked the complicated emotions of this book. the book follows darcy and the grief and guilt she is feeling over the death of her ex boyfriend.

the complicated emotions of darcy dealing with her mental health, the "moral" discussions at the library, and the personality differences with her wife being navigated together at once was very well weaved together.

though i am not a lesbian, i had similar mental struggles and thoughts on my identity that darcy experienced before she was able to find herself. and the thoughts that come in late at night even when sure about her identity. being raised as a girl, big weddings, husband and kids are something we are taught to work towards, and it took a very long time for me to understand that i do not like men as much as i thought i do.

i also loved the emphasis on the importance of libraries as a resource for learning and community. as a lover of books and learning, i know how important libraries are for our community. i also liked how darcy mentioned that there are books she does not agree with as well (right wing leaning books and media available to the public) but the library is for the whole public and while she does not agree with them still having these resources are important to the community.

read: 260617 - 260618

★★★★☆ (3.75)

"you're a person who's made some bad choices and some good choices. a person who is trying to survive and figure out how to live. a person who loves people - and to love to someone means to hurt someone. not all the time, and not on purpose. but yeah... sometimes"

with this book i was able to relate to a lot of the bleak thoughts and emotions that the different characters have. i do think this kind of thinking are things that other people on here may relate to as well.

i think the jade song did a good job depicting the complications of all types of relationships. because relationships are hard, complicated, and need work - and humans are people capable of hurting others, making mistakes, and having fears that they have not grown from yet. I loved that the importance of relationship and the use of the word "love" was not just reserved for romantic relationships but in platonic ones as well. i think it is important for people to understand that friendships are also forms of love and a type of relationship that also needs work as much as romantic ones.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 spoilers ahead 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

read: 260611 - 260615

★★★☆☆ (3.5)

this was quite an easy read, and not in a negative way.

the neighborhood of yeonnam-dong come together at the new smiley laundromat as they work through their daily personal struggles and grow closer together as a community.

this book made me yearn for the community that it describes. something that i feel is greatly lacking and hard to build in today's society.

read: 260609 - 260610

★★★★☆ (3.75)

the memoir was written in such a way that it didn't feel like a list or timeline of something that happened. i struggle to read memoirs that read as "this happened and then this happened to me" so i was able to get into the flow of this book a lot easier than others.

i think many people have preconceived notions on cult victims where they believe only dumb or naive people can fall victim to them. however, the people in this book are the opposite of what some may imagine as "typical cult victims". veena's parents are highly educated and working in stem, veena also being someone in high level classes and someone people believed would be "most likely to succeed" in life. this really highlights how it has nothing to do with someone's smarts or education, but everything to do with cults preying on peoples' desperation to manipulate them to do their bidding.

read: 260604 - 260608

★★★☆☆ (3.75)

beautifully written book that explores generational trauma and the effects of racism in the south through multiple generations in one family. though the chapters are told through different perspectives, there wasn't any confusion in the narrators, and the different perspectives are weaved together well.

while working through the different traumas that the characters have, they also have to survive the daily hardships they face. jojo with being the surrogate caretaker of his younger sister, leonie with her drug addiction and guilt of her relationship with her brother's murderer's cousin, pop's with his guilt on what took place during his time in prison, and mam with the loss of her son.