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Ms. Marvel, Vol. 6: Civil War II

G. Willow Wilson

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

While CIVIL WAR II brews, the next generation of Avengers has bigger things to worry about--like a...

ClareR (5879 KP) rated H is for Hawk in Books

Jan 14, 2018

H is for Hawk

Helen Macdonald | 2015 | Biography

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

A surprisingly fabulous memoir!

Helen Macdonald is an Academic and a Falconer. She loses her father and decides to get a Goshawk and train it - they're notoriously difficult to train; but the connection they have is special. T H White features heavily in this, and his memoir of training his Goshawk is recounted alongside Helen's own story. His first attempt with a Goshawk was disastrous (I believe he became more successful after.).
This is a very moving story: we see Helen trying to 'become' more like a Hawk and not need people after her father's death. The descriptions of nature and the hawk are amazing, and i loved the language she used. A brave story in a lot of ways, to admit to mental health issues and her own (perceived) shortcomings. The end is particularly sad - but I'll leave it to you to read it and find out why!

Kudos

Autumn (3 KP) rated Breaking Beautiful in Books

Jan 19, 2018

this book wasn't what I was expecting. most YA novels aren't when I think about it. anyway, this was wonderful. I think of it as a story of a girl discovering who she is and what she needs.
thankfully I have about zero experience and only academic knowledge about abusive relationships. therefore my only complaint was that there was no explanation in how Allie got into this destructive relationship. from a moralistic standpoint this is probably one of the worst books to give a teenager in an abusive relationship. it demonstrates no means of prevention or plausible solutions of extracting oneself from such a situation. apparently your only means of escape are 1. getting the shit beat out of you until your partner thinks you're dead or 2. your partner dies. not terribly plausible.
points for self-actualization and having a character with CP; big WTF for not helping anyone.