[midnightinshadow]

[bookluvr3]

Ring

By: koji Suzuki

2.5/5 ⭐️

Hmmm where do I begin…

I liked the premise and how we find out all of Sadako Yamamura’s story but I just couldn’t get past all the misogynistic undertones of the book. The 2 main characters Asakawa and Ryuji were so insufferable Asakawa is horrible to his wife, and

Ryuji literally admitted to raping women to Asakawa. There’s a quote in the book where Ryuji says “I did another on last night” and Asakawa goes on to say how this is the 3rd victim ryuji had told him about and I was like 3rd!! Wym he’s admitted to raping someone more than once and you didn’t immediately go to police after the first one! like huh… and later on he says oh I don’t know how I’m friends with this guy, but continues to be friends with him?! Then at the end of the book I’m supposed to believe he’s been a virgin this whole time and never did any of what he said like it’s just insane! And so stupid what was the point of even writing his character like that?

They talk about rape and sexual assault so casually and not to mention the transphobia. It just kinda give you a sense of how the author’s mind works I mean I know these are supposed to be fictional characters but the overall tone of the book is just drowned in misogyny.

Honestly the only thing I enjoyed was Sadako and her story that we get to know through the main characters investigation. She’s supposed to be the villain and she’s my favorite character so far. As for the ending it was very anticlimactic and obviously just setting up for the next book.

•genre: horror, mystery, suspense

[midnightinshadow]

[bookluvr3]

The secret diary of Laura Palmer🗝️📔

By: Jennifer Lynch

This book crushed me. I feel like it makes watching twin peaks and fire walk with me all the more tragic. The book follows Laura Palmer from age 12-17, when she ultimately is murdered. it’s from Laura’s POV as she unravels, detailing the abuse she suffered from BOB/others and how, essentially, the whole town failed her. It’s so, so, so, tragic. I feel like this is a book that anybody who’s seen the show and maybe wants to watch the movie would like. It gives you a little more of an insight into Laura’s character.

•genre: fiction, psychological thriller, horror

Quotes:

“He never knew Laura Palmer the way the woods, the trees, the earth, knew her”

“I just reread yesterday’s entry and I suddenly feel very embarrassed about being alive. The girl who received this diary on her twelfth birthday has been dead for years, and I who took her place have done nothing but make a mockery of the dreams she once had.”

“I have seen more death than I have seen life. Sometimes even the most tired clichés apply. I believe I am merely living my life in order to die.”

“How could they not see how I was being swallowed up by pain? How dare they make me a spectacle like that and ask me to smile again and again and again!”

“I’m so afraid of death. I’m so afraid that no one will believe me until after I have taken the seat that I fear has been saved for me in the darkness. Please don’t hate me. I never meant to see the small hills and the fire. I never meant to see him or let him in.”

“I know who he is. I know exactly who and what BOB is, and I have to tell everyone. I have to tell someone and make them believe. Someone has torn pages out of my diary, pages that help me realize maybe . . . pages with my poems, pages of writing, private pages.”

“Please, Diary, help me explain to everyone that I did not want what I have become. I did not want to have certain memories and realizations of him. I only did what any of us can do, in any situation. . . .

My very best. Love, Laura”

[academic-vampire]

𝔰𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔡𝔶 𝔰𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫

[bookluvr3]

Brain on fire

By: Susannah Cahalan

5/5⭐️

Omg, this memoir was so good. While reading and learning about her symptoms and diagnosis, I couldn't help but think of people like Anneliese Michel, who had similar symptoms but her family instead of taking her to the doctor believed she was possessed and instead performed multiple exorcisms with no avail, the negligence eventually leading to her death. Thanks to Dr. Najjar Susannah was able to recover.

This memoir really shows Susannah's talent as a journalist since she had to rely on medical records, interviews, and diary entries to reconstruct her experience. It was just such an amazing read, and I highly recommend it.

• genre: memoir, nonfiction, journalism

[moonss-and-stars]

“Yes books are dangerous. They should be dangerous–they contain ideas.”

[bookluvr3]

Finding me

By: Viola Davis

5/5⭐️

I highlighted so many quotes in this book, and I still find myself going back to reread them. It was sooo good I truly cannot recommend it enough.

Viola Davis is such an incredible writer. She has a beautiful way with words, and I loved reading about her life, how she grew up and the journey that brought her to where she is today. It is truly so inspiring.

I’m even planning to give my copy to my mom, fully annotated, because I feel like she would love it and relate to so much of what Viola went through. This book honestly made me love her even more. I’ve already admired her work in film and television, she’s so multitalented. I mean she’s literally an EGOT… do I even need to say more?

•genre: memoir, nonfiction

Quotes:

“She had feelings for a man who cared for her. As stubborn as a bull, as innocent as a child, and loyal even when she has been abandoned.”

“Sexual abuse back in the day didn’t have a name. The abusers were called “dirty old men” and the abused were called “fast” or “heifers.” It was shrouded in silence and invisible trauma and shame.”

“We just stood there and I remember waiting for him to die. I imagined what our lives would be like without him. I imagined a life with no more drunken rages and the constant abuse of my mom. I secretly felt how much better our lives would be. The next day, he was better. Death wouldn’t come until 2006, and man, my prayers at that time were different. Every last breath he took, I took with him.”

“Like I said, Mae Alice has a heart that simply is loyal. It attaches and asks for nothing in exchange. She shows her claws only when those she loves need protection or to protect who she feels belongs to her. She never raises her fist for . . . her. There is a very flimsy barrier between the asshole predators, abusers, and my mom. She is a “self-sacrificer” at the expense of her own joy.”

[glimpsesofpeaceful]

ig credit: myphotography_com

[bookluvr3]

To Selena, With Love

By: Chris Perez

5/5⭐️

Can you tell I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs and biographies lately?

I’ve loved Selena Quintanilla since I was a kid, but this book made me feel even closer to her story.

Chris Perez wrote about her with so much love, it honestly hurt to read at times. You can feel how deeply he loved her. Their story was beautiful and I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about it.

•genre: Biography, nonfiction, memoir

Quotes:

“Not many people on this earth get to feel what we did. Our love for each other went even more deeply than the bonds of marriage.”

“She never complained about it, but Selena was never really allowed to be a carefree child the way most of us are. Sometimes I felt that loss for her. I was happy to give her at least a glimpse into the way ordinary people lived”

“Selena wrote such sweet notes to me that it still hurts to read them, especially because she dated every one and I can remember what were doing on those dates.”

“Selena, I’m still dreaming of you.”

[midnightinshadow]

[bookluvr3]

I wish I could take aesthetic photos like these

[bookluvr3]

A song for you: My Life with Whitney Houston💕

By: Robyn Crawford

5/5⭐️

I loved this memoir so much. I found myself relating to many of the things Robyn shared about her life, and her story was incredibly interesting to read. It wasn’t just the parts where Whitney appears. Even though I really like the way those moments were written, too. We also get little snippets of Whitney’s life through Robyn’s eyes which I really loved.

Their relationship felt so pure and full of love. It makes you wonder how different things could have been if they had lived in a time when their love was more widely accepted, or if people hadn’t been so close minded back then. But more than anything, what stood out to me was their deep friendship they truly were best friends.

•genre: Memoir, LGBTQ+, nonfiction

Quotes:

“We never talked labels, like lesbian or gay. We just lived our lives, and I hoped it could go on that way forever. From a young age, I loved beautiful people. Sometimes the beauty that captured me came in the form of a male, and sometimes it came in the form of a female; either way worked for me.”

“The first time ever I saw your face . . . She told me that the first time she saw me she thought I was beautiful.”

“You could tell Whitney and I were tight. It wasn’t all about our sleeping together. We could be naked. We could be bare and didn’t have to hide. We could trust each other with our secrets, our feelings, and who we were. We were friends. We were lovers. We were everything to each other. We weren’t falling in love. We just were. We had each other. We were one: That’s how it felt.”

“I knew what the church and the Bible said, and I loved her anyway. The love I felt for Nippy was real and effortless, filled with so much feeling that when we talked about ending the physical part of our relationship, it didn’t feel as if I was losing that much.”

“We knew that God understood what we felt and that we had a bond that no one could penetrate. It would be our secret, and it would hold us together.”

[lovesdaya]

@lovesdaya

[bookluvr3]

She drives me crazy 🏀

By: Kelly Quindlen

4/5⭐️

This was such a cute YA lgbtq romcom. I liked that it included a poc as one of the love interests; I usually don’t see that as much as I’d like in romance books. I feel like the author handled the topic of moving on from an ex, especially one that was emotionally unavailable really well. It felt very realistic in how it affected the main character and the romance. I even loved the cheesy 80s romcom references. This book was just what I needed to read at the time, a light, cutesy romance to get me out of a slump. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for book recs for young readers it’s perfect.

• genre: lgbtq, ya, romance, wlw

Quotes:

“You're worthy of love you feel good about. Not just from a girl, but from yourself."

“For the dozenth time this year, I wish I could go home with anyone else. But tonight, it's not because I hate her. It's because I can no longer deny that I actually like her”

[juliaxyn]

Work hard in silence. Let success make the noise.

[bookluvr3]

As good as dead 🖤

By: Holly Jackson

4.75/5⭐️

This book had me so stressed! I thought I knew where it was going at the beginning, and then it just took a turn I didn’t expect. And the ending… omg, it was not what I expected! But honestly, I’m glad that this was how she ended it, because it didn’t feel repetitive. It was fresh and twisty like her other books but still so different. Holly Jackson never ceases to amaze me with her writing; I can never predict what will happen, and I love that about her books. The fact that they’re YA books, too, is just insane. They’re so well written. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking to get into reading, get out of a slump, or just to recommend to a friend or younger sibling. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

•genre: y/a, mystery, thriller, nyt bestseller

[shakespearesdaughters]