Eeeee Eee Eeee
finished: 2009-02-02 00:00:00
The Ticking
finished: 2009-01-16 00:00:00
i picked this up while shelving the fiction. i don't know why it's there because it's clearly a graphic novel. the cover was beautiful and it was a quick read, and the subject matter was disturbing yet beautiful. the pages consisted of simple text and etchings (they were poetic), about an eery tale of a deformed father and equally deformed son. i couldn't put it down. i definitely want this in my private collection!
The Three Incestuous Sisters
finished: 2009-01-13 00:00:00
The Glass Harmonica
finished: 2009-01-12 00:00:00
New Moon
finished: 2009-01-10 00:00:00
Twilight
finished: 2009-01-03 00:00:00
Eclipse
finished: 2009-01-14 00:00:00
Breaking Dawn
finished: None
definitely the most intense and interesting book of the series. tried to suppress my annoyance with the terrible use of hyphenated words ("snow-cold lips" "sand-pale floors" or whatever; i even wondered if the hyphenated words began as temporary substitutes that the author had planned on getting back to but never did), and absurd amount of typos. some parts seemed tediously long, and i appreciated the occasional punch of humor. overall, the story was highly inventive and entertaining. i also liked the switch to jacob's voice during the middle, and the effort made to keep bella and jacob's voice distinct. (though the crazy contractions—wouldn't've—took some time for me to accept).
a clash of kings
finished: 2016-06-18 00:00:00
a game of thrones
finished: 2013-04-06 00:00:00
A Streetcar Named Desire
finished: 2009-01-14 00:00:00
No One Belongs Here More Than You
finished: 2009-07-10 00:00:00
i had such a huge crush on miranda july after reading this. i also became greatly inspired to try my hand at writing short stories. although none of my current writing reflect it, this book was a huge influence. i have a better understanding of the way miranda july thinks and a greater appreciation for the movie "you and me and everyone we know," which i saw long before i read her work. i liked it, though found it strange.
Blankets
finished: 2009-12-17 00:00:00
beautiful and heartfelt story. i loved the seamless transition from childhood to adolescence. it was like watching a movie. the illustrations were also painstakingly drawn, and i agree from one of the reviews, it's remarkable how much the artist recounted from his past. i love how he sheds his innocence and naivety, both as a person and as a christian. i feel like it was successful because it was so personal—the more details and nuances he could remember, the more i could relate to the narrator. because of my recent departure from adolescence, "blankets" warmed my nerves.
Hi Score Girl
finished: 2025-02-15 00:00:00
The anime was way better! The writing style makes the boy come off as super angry and aggressive. He’s just screaming and shouting all the time. But in the anime he’s way more chill. I didn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t continue the series.
How the Water Feels to the Fishes
finished: 2010-03-21 00:00:00
This is my first trip into the mind of Dave Eggers and it's definitely been interesting. I found some stories to be insightful, thought-provoking and even ingenious while others felt like a cop out or shameless revelation of the creative process. I had to read this book for an independent study so I scanned and pasted all of my favorite stories into a pdf for my teacher and included my reviews. I won't copy the stories down but I'll include the titles. "Once A Year" - The first story in the book which I liked. It’s only two sentences but it feels like a complete story. "The Commercials of Norway" - I thought this was funny. I’ve never read anything by Dave Eggers before this, and I can see that he has a way of explaining a state of being; the first one is explaining a feeling while this one is about the woman’s changing attitude as she gets drunker over the course of time. "The Horror" - I found this story humorous as well. It is a metaphor about life? How we freak out over nothing? Bad and scary things happen to a lot of people, but it may not happen to others. I feel like it’s a reminder to not freak out over stuff, as if this story is laughing at us. "How the Water Feels to the Fishes" - The story which gives its title to the title of this book. Really interesting and surreal how he gives the fish a tone of voice. I really like the ending of it too. "Go-Getters" - I thought this was another story that poked fun at society, this time photographers and artists. Writers too, maybe. It’s a literal representation of the creative process, and is almost double ironic, how she’s creating irony through her photograph while the writer writes about this or the sake of a story. "Deeper" - I don’t really understand the “deeper meaning” of this story (just occurred to me that the title is “Deeper” so, another bit of irony maybe? asking the reader to discover the deeper meaning of the story when there really isn’t any at all), but I enjoy the imagery it evokes and the observational detail about the personalities it describes. "Alberto" - This was probably the longest story in the book. Really enjoyed the backdrop he evoked, as well as the characters. Strange how the father wants to scare the mother than changes his mind abruptly, refusing to answer is son while Alberto persistently asks. Alberto’s reaction to this was unexpected. I expected him to scare the father, and I guess he does by cutting a frog into pieces. I feel likt this is revealing of his behavior too. I like that we don’t know why the father doesn’t want to scare the mom. Seems like something a parent does: tell you something than refuse to explain it further. "You Still Know That Boy" - This is just hilarious. My friend’s brother does that and he’s 20. The last sentence is a really funny way of putting it. "The Bounty" - I liked where this story was going until I got to the end. I guess I expected a better ending, but this feels too contrived like it was supposed to be funny but it isn’t. It felt like an afterthought, which made me wonder about his creative process—did he just give up? It made it more vulnerable and revealing than intended, but I could be wrong. "No One Knows" - I forgot why I liked this initially. Maybe I just found it amusing. "California Moved West" - This is funny too. And I hope that’s true, if that were to happen. "How the Air Feels to the Birds" - Thought this was a nice companion to the fish one. And how different it was—less detailed, entirely different tone. Enjoyed the ending. Concluding thought: This book took awhile to read! I thought I could get to it all at once, but since they’re individual stories, I wanted to digest everything properly and it was hard to just pick up and read onto the next story. It also makes me question what makes a story a story, since these were all really short. Most felt complete though, so I guess that’s what it takes to be a story—to be able to explain an idea in its entirety.
Asterios Polyp
finished: 2010-04-03 00:00:00
Beautifully illustrated graphic novel with a provocative, philosophical, and heartfelt storyline. Made me wistful about love and relationships and life in general. Definitely deserves to be reread and owned. David Mazzucchelli must be a talented genius.
Kafka on the Shore
finished: 2010-10-05 00:00:00
Trippy. Reminds me of Miyazaki films, like Spirited Away. Not for uncreative minds. It takes you to another world, your imagination to another level. Heart-wrenching in places, romantic for all the wrong reasons, and very heavy. Not for the faint of heart.
Skim
finished: 2011-05-18 00:00:00
Bossypants
finished: 2011-06-28 00:00:00
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
finished: 2011-08-06 00:00:00
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
finished: 2014-05-14 00:00:00
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
finished: 2012-05-15 00:00:00
Caricature
finished: 2012-07-17 00:00:00
Black Hole
finished: 2013-01-05 00:00:00
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
finished: 2013-03-11 00:00:00
Aesop's Fables with a modern, cynical twist. Very entertaining.
Lost At Sea
finished: 2013-07-13 00:00:00
This is about an eighteen year old who has no soul. I am a 25-year-old who relates completely. It's metaphorical, a little bit magical, and the feelings and emotions are completely real. It's a great coincidence that I finished this book within days of having similar conversations with friends. A comforting read.
Time Cat
Seconds
finished: 2014-09-13 00:00:00
Fight Club
finished: 2014-07-27 00:00:00
The Book of Other People
finished: 2015-03-20 00:00:00
Was delighted to find this at my local thrift store years ago as this book held what I believed to be a winning combination: striking illustrated cover by Charles Burns, list of notable writers, and its association to one of my favorite charitable organizations. Instead, I found none of the stories to be memorable; I enjoyed 3 out of the 23. I will now donate this book to my local book swap shop, an ocean away from where I first picked it up.
About a Boy
finished: 2015-07-09 00:00:00
"About A Boy" was a favorite movie of mine when I first watched it as a young teen. After reading the book as an adult, I really wish young me read this 10 years ago. I was worried that the movie would carry too much weight, but aside from hearing Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult's voices narrating the story, the book version was able to thoroughly get inside the two characters' heads, which is something that wasn't expressed as well on film. The story hit home for me in so many ways, from growing up as that socially awkward teenager, being raised by a single mother whose views were not so different from Fiona's—just swap hairy jumpers with ethnic-type jumpers, though I'm sure Fiona owned a couple of those herself; to the doldrums of dating and the existential crises that come with aging. This has been both a nostalgic and refreshing read; my past self colliding with the present. Would have given it five stars but took out one star for the one-too-many Nirvana references.
Killing and Dying: Stories
finished: 2016-01-02 00:00:00
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
finished: 2016-06-18 00:00:00
Me Talk Pretty One Day
finished: 2018-08-18 00:00:00
American Born Chinese
finished: 2018-01-12 00:00:00
Boxers
finished: 2019-01-20 00:00:00
Beyond the Gender Binary
finished: 2021-03-18 00:00:00
Poetic, autobiographical account of the author coming into their queer identity.
Seventeen Poisoned Englishmen
finished: 2025-02-16 00:00:00
I’ve never read anything by Marquez and I was impressed. The writing style is something I haven’t experienced, full of rich detail and almost abstract language. Some of the stories were confusing where I didn’t understand the meaning. The standout stories for me were Seventeen Poisoned Englishmen (rich storytelling) and I Came To Use the Phone (haunting). The last story, Light is Like Water, was also mysteriously creepy too. Will definitely read more books by him.
The Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
finished: 2025-03-15 00:00:00
A self-help book on how to heal from emotionally immature parents, with self-reflective activities. This book will help you understand why you behave the way you are, and how you can foster a healthier relationship with yourself and spot emotionally immaturity in others.
The Joy Luck Club
finished: 2025-06-28 00:00:00
Short stories told from the perspectives of several Chinese-American women. The viewpoints shift between mother and daughter, as each discuss their struggles with what it means to be a Chinese woman.
1984
finished: 2026-01-07 00:00:00
This is a re-read. I first read it as a teen in high school and didn't really understand the full extent of it. Lately, due to the circumstances of the western world/media, I felt it useful to read again. There are problematic elements considering this book was written in the late 1940s, but a lot of ideas still hold up.
Desert Oracle: Volume 1
finished: 2023-07-08 22:00:00
Bite-sized stories detailing the paranormal activity that tends to happen in the American Southwest.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
finished: 2022-07-02 22:00:00
An introspective insight on a first-generation Vietnamese-American’s relationship with his immigrant, refugee mother, as well as queerness in a conservative society.