Cannibalism by Bill Schutt

Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love reading about science so I’m definitely the target audience for an exploration of zoological and anthropological cannibalism. I was especially intrigued by the discussion of mad cow disease and the mirror illness in human cannibals. An article on a different illness has haunted me since I first read about it in 2008, and I’d love to read a more detailed explanation of what, if any, relationship these illness have (as soon as scientists figure it out): https://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05pork.html.

One thing really bothered me though, despite the book coming out in 2017, Schutt seems to have missed major research on Neanderthals that came out in 2015 of DNA evidence that there was "Ancient gene flow from early modern humans into Eastern Neanderthals": https://www.nature.com/articles/nature16544.

View all my reviews

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lorde’s unique way of thinking and communicating is on display in these essays about race and feminism. This is especially true in the lengthy interview in the middle of the book. I might have done better to start with her poetry though.

View all my reviews

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was extremely bloated. The story would have been interesting if it had been much shorter.

The first half is just Lila moping around on a pirate ship for no particular reason and Kell moping around London because his life is boring and careful because it’s tied to Rhy’s life.

The second half could have been a more interesting magical competition but it is still bloated with a ton of filler.

View all my reviews

Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best. If you like the fantasy genre and/or YA or joy, just drop everything and start with The Demon King by this author. Read all 7 books and then sit with me impatiently while we wait for the 8th book to come out. You’re welcome.

View all my reviews

Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was pretty good. One thing that kind of bothers me is that despite the name of this book, it didn't really feel like Shadowcaster was an important or developed character. Also, his name is weird and doesn't really tell you anything about his power. I did enjoy the other main characters Princess Heir Alyssa and the Arden soldier Hal.

View all my reviews

Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight by Peter Walsh

Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down by Peter Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is no shocking or new information in this book, but everything Walsh says is true and important to keeping a healthy body and an organized life.

View all my reviews

Girls & Sex by Peggy Orenstein

Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book isn't perfect, but I'm a big believer in "don't let perfect be the enemy of the good." I think this is a useful tool for thinking about how to talk to your children- both daughters and sons- about sex.

View all my reviews

Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov

Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful writing, wonderfully sulky, surprisingly environmental.

A group of people are staying at a country estate together: there is an older country doctor Mikhail Lvovich Astrov (the main character as far as I could tell), a professor and his younger beautiful wife Yelena, the professor's plain daughter from his first marriage Sonya (who keeps up the estate) and her mother's brother Uncle Vanya, and his mother Maria. Everyone is in love with the wrong person, and everyone is extremely depressed. Enjoy!

View all my reviews

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book of the Shattered Realms series, but it's also a continuation of the Seven Realms series. I just finished Seven Realms, so as a continuation of that perfect story, I kind of hate it. But as the beginning of a new series, I like it a lot and I'm excited to read the next one! (Also you don't have to read the first series to understand this one, but I recommend it anyway.)

One of the two main characters, Ash is the second child of Hans and Raisa. We follow his challenging story and the people he meets and cares about on his journey. The other main character is Jenna, an underage coal miner in Arden turned revolutionary against the King of Arden. (Remember the super evil King of Arden from the first series? He hasn't developed any nuance in this one either.)

Solid start!

View all my reviews

An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unless I'm missing something deeper, it appears to just be about the ugliness of politics. The locals don't seem to understand the science of the local baths making people sick and they are so involved in their own power struggles that they don't care. We see this frequently in American politics. I still didn't connect to this play that well. Perhaps it was my particular translation that made the language or scenes seem somewhat awkward, but I didn't enjoy it.

View all my reviews