Long before the mammoths and sabertooth tigers of the ice age, even more prehistoric mammals roamed the earth, pioneering traits that would one day make us, us.
Read MoreBook Review: Beasts Before Us
in book reviews
audiobook
Book Review: Certain Dark Things
in book reviews
Between Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things, Moreno-Garcia has, in my opinion, very quickly risen to the top of the contemporary horror game. Drawing on classic noir tropes with an alternative future-driven twist, she creates a very vibrant version of Mexico City as a safe haven in the center of a country plagued by drugs, disease, and a melting pot of cross-cultural vampire lore. When Domingo spots Atl on the subway, he’s taken by her and decides that he’ll do anything to get her attention, including putting his life on the line for a girl who is more than just a normal girl.
am a HUGE fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the rerelease of Certain Dark Things for a hot minute. I got to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook, and folks, the anticipation was worth it, I loved it. Very rarely do I feel as immersed in a story as I did with this book, and I am so genuinely excited that this book is being rere
Read More
Book Review: The Fabric of Civilization
in book reviews
I LOVED this book. As someone who grew up with textile crafts, my mind was blown by the myriad of connections that the author makes and repeatedly put it down just to consider how cool it is. I could rave about this book for days, but I will stop writing this preamble so that you can read my actual review and see how wonderful it actually is.
Postrel’s history brings a fresh perspective to textiles of the past by going beyond the expected descriptions of materials and instead delves deep into large and small scale implications of the development of this product over time.
Not only is this a history of textiles, it’s an overview into the history of agriculture, our understanding of chemistry, the shaping of language, the rise of industrialization, and the influence of skilled workers on economics and gender roles through the present day. By using every tool at textile historians’ disposal— from DNA sequencing to determine when humans began domesticating cotton, sheep for wool, and other natural fibers; to studying economic records of the past; to working alongside materials scientists to work on textiles of the future. Postrel paints a fuller picture of the impact of fabric on everyday life (besides the fact that we touch and use it every day) and ties together the seemingly distant threads of what arose in the process.
Read More
Book Review: Let's Talk About Death (Over Dinner)
in book reviews
This is it: the new book I’m recommending about death to anyone who asks.
Filled with conversation starters, prompts, and stories about people who have contributed to their own Death Dinners in the past, Hebb compiles the ultimate guidebook to having a hard but important conversation with both strangers and loved ones with grace and ease. While it provides guidance, Let’s Talk About Death (Over Dinner) is never a preachy self-help book— instead it guides you through learning and self reflection and gives advice on how to bring this conversation to others.
Read More
Book Review: The Dead and The Dark
in book reviews
If you know me, then you’ll know that I love audiobooks, so I jumped at the chance to listen to an advance copy of The Dead and The Dark because it was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Soneela Nankani. Her narrations are always fantastic, so I assumed that this book would at least be okay, even if the premise wasn’t super appealing to me.
Unfortunately, I was wrong— this book was not it for me.
From the predictability of the mystery to the just straight up bad writing, I really had to force myself to just finish listening to this book as quickly as possible. It reads like a Ghost Adventures fanfiction (which I am sure preteen Em would have loved but adult Em just felt weird reading) with a hastily planned murder mystery overlaid on top of it.
This book defies logic, but not in a good way, and I was just not a fan.
Read More
Book Review: Big Vape
in book reviews
Do you ever pick a book up because the title is just so outrageous that you need to be able to say that you read it, if the situation ever arises? That’s what I did when I saw Big Vape on a new releases list.
So feeling bold with an impulse to read, I downloaded the audiobook to listen to while I worked, and I was pleasantly surprised. Big Vape reads like a long-form article that you’d spend a whole morning pouring over, uncovering just how deep the conspiracies and crimes go. It’s fast-paced, but never overwhelming when it comes to names and events. Thanks to regular reminders of who and what everything is, it’s something that you could absolutely marathon reading (like I did) or take your sweet time on, without feeling hopelessly lost.
Big Vape follows the whirlwind success of Juul, the skyrocketing popularity of vaping, and the dramatic business deals, health crises, and legal cases that were left in its wake.
Read More
Book Review: The Maidens
in book reviews
Therapist and recent widow Mariana’s life couldn’t get any more out of her control, until she receives a call from her niece that her friend has been murdered, and she thinks she knows who did it.
This book made me ask myself if I’d ever see a book that is so aggressively marketed to be THE hot new book of the Summer that promises to be a combination of some of your favorite books and not have high hopes for it. I was very determined to stay neutral on this book when I went in and not let the expectations that I had for it ruin my enjoyment of it.
Usually when I go to write a book review, I have a single post-it of mid-read thoughts to consider, instead of just my post-read reaction. I had so many thoughts reading this book that I ran out of post-it space and wrote a full essay instead, so please enjoy reading said essay.
Read More