Search

Search only in certain items:

Here Lies Bridget
Here Lies Bridget
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5
I found it hard to get past the bitchiness of Bridget for a while. And I'd like to point out that this book can be a bit triggering for people suffering from eating disorders or struggling with self-esteem issues etc in some bits.
  
This book touched on a lot of hard subjects that I wasn't expecting(eating disorders, self harm, and rape), and it handled all of them very honestly. It didn't hold back, but it didn't glorify any unhealthy behavior either. I absolutely love Virginia, the main character, and can't wait to read more about her in the sequel.
  
40x40

Book Divas (227 KP) rated Wintergirls in Books

Dec 12, 2017  
W
Wintergirls
Laurie Halse Anderson | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reading this book took me back to high school and the day I walked into the locker room and saw one of my dearest friends undressed... the way she looked still haunts me but I'm thankful that her parents sent her away to an inpatient program.

This is one of those reads that opens your eyes to eating disorders and packs a powerful message into each and every single line. A must read.
  
40x40

Chloe (778 KP) rated Grown Ups in Books

Feb 22, 2021 (Updated Feb 22, 2021)  
Grown Ups
Grown Ups
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (3 more)
Good Writing
Immersive
Exciting
Pairings (0 more)
Fave author, great family
I do love Marian Keyes, the way she's able to take the every day and make it interesting. I couldn't put this down and loved the dynamics of the characters.

For some reason I couldn't keep hold off who was who's partner in the beginning as it switches perspectives.

I really loved the twists in the story.


There's a trigger warning for this book worth noting for those with history for of eating disorders.
  
Paperweight
Paperweight
Meg Haston | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/book-review-paperweight/

This. Book. Is. Amazing.

There aren't enough books about such serious and common topics like this. I'm not going to lie, I found this rather hard to read due to how it brought back so many personal memories for me. I should warn any potential readers that this book includes a log of negative language about body image, mentions of self-harm and suicide, and a lot about eating disorders and behaviours.

Stevie, a 17-year-old girl who's mother left and brother died, has her self-destruction plans halted when her father sends her to an eating disorder treatment centre. This book follows her through a twenty-seven day period of pain and conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Throughout Stevie's time at the treatment centre, the reader is told about her life through little snippets here and there. We learn about her behaviours and thoughts as her eating disorder developed, about the day her mother left, and the time around her brother's death.

Stevie is carrying so much guilt and pain, and all she wants is to disappear on the anniversary of the accident. But her shrink, Anna, is desperate to help her live her life.

This book is so accurately written. The things Stevie thinks and does often reflect myself and people I've known while really struggling with eating disorders. The daunting prospect of recovery looms over her, making her unsure of what her goal really is. She was so sure she wanted to die... But now she's met Ashley, and Anna, and rethought her plan. What once seemed so simple and obvious, Stevie is no longer sure she wants.

Paperweight is so emotional, accurately telling the story of Stevie's personal experiences with an eating disorder as well as her struggles after her mother moved away and her brother was killed. It combats so many topics that I've rarely seen in other books, and is just so greatly written... I love it. 5 stars!
  
To the Bone (2017)
To the Bone (2017)
2017 | Drama
Can be triggering for some
The movie starts with a hospital support group, the girls are super skinny and talking about food, why? They are anorexic! This story focuses on 20 year old anorexia sufferer Ellie, she lives with her step mum who watches her when she eats and weighs her on a regular basis. She takes Ellie to see a specialist doctor to try and help her, and he admits her to a clinic with other people with eating disorders, it has no doors and no electronic devices are allowed. Fairly normal for rehab.
There's not much to say about the movie really, it's nice to see a movie dedicated to getting better rather than leading upto the illness. Be warned though, if you suffer from or have suffered from an eating disorder and are easily triggered then I would stay clear of the movie as the eating disorder language and attitudes towards food is pretty full on, such as tips on losing weight, where to hide your vomit, weight numbers and calorie counting.
  
40x40

Cori June (3033 KP) rated Grown Ups in Books

Oct 31, 2021  
Grown Ups
Grown Ups
8
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
Descriptions
Starts a bit rough (0 more)
I normally don't read this type of book, however, I was gifted it while traveling in Iceland. And I loved it.
It starts a bit rough in the beginning as the change in perspective takes some getting used to, once I did it was a great read. The characters and thier issues were so immersive that you started to hope that they'd figure things out. I loved getting to know the family.
It is an emotional rollercoaster I did cry (it wasn't a bad one) and there are triggers for ppl who have eating disorders and depression.
The descriptions are amazing in felt like I was in Ireland and Italy. A great read and worth it.
  
A Haunting in the Arctic
A Haunting in the Arctic
CJ Cooke | 2023 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Horror
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this dark tale. It’s a tough read at times, and comes with a host of trigger warnings (rape, eating disorders, violence). Its really creepy though, a great companion for a dark evening!

Nicky is on a ship in 1901 with a crew of men who all expect her “services”, even though she isn’t prepared to give them what they want of her own free will.

In the modern day, Dominique, an explorer and instagrammer, decides to travel to Iceland and document the destruction of the beached ship, the Ormen.

The atmosphere was perfect for a ghost story, full of menace and threat, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would happen that would make me have to reassess completely! The present day storyline was perfect for this.

This is a story where your heart will be in your mouth from start to finish, and it fed my fascination for the frozen places of the world perfectly (and I have to admit that my fascination is based on what I consider to be a healthy fear!).
  
40x40

Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Tyranny in Books

Jun 24, 2019  
Tyranny
Tyranny
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So as you've probably realised by now, I have anorexia. And because of that, I am always drawn to books about eating disorders, including this graphic novel I found in the library. It's always good to see realistic and relatable presentations of ED's, and I'm also always quick to point out when something is being portrayed wrong.

This book was a pretty accurate representation of my own personal battle with anorexia. It addressed the starving and the bingeing that many anorexics go through, as well as the body dysmorphia and unhealthy habits and routines. It included friends of Anna (the protagonist of this book) who are also suffering - one of which eventually suffered a heart attack and died. It's not uncommon for people with anorexia to have friends who pass away as a result of the unhealthy habits brought on by the disorder.

Anna does eventually decide she wants life, and goes into treatment. She learns to tell Tyranny (the voice/persons of her ED) that she doesn't care about being thin anymore, and eventually she gets her to leave entirely. (I can't say that's happened to me; it's more of an ongoing, up-and-down struggle in my experience.)

One thing I wasn't sure was so good about this book was the inclusion of weights - her weight loss process, the weight of another patient. This can be incredibly triggering for people suffering with an eating disorder, and can make people feel invalidated - feeling as if their ED isn't as "bad" or "real" because their weight wasn't quite as low. For this reason, I would be hesitant about recommending this book to people who are trying to recover from their disorder.

Overall, I felt it was a good portrayal of anorexia. It was brutally honest and included both the starving and the bingeing, which lots of people don't often discuss. 4.5 stars.
  
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
Jaye Robin Brown | 2016 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a sweet, southern f/f romance. Set in Georgia, it deals with a lot of things young lesbians might have to deal with in the south - religion, bigotry, the stress of coming out or not coming out (or being forced back in the closet by a move to a small town)! It doesn't deal with any outright violence against our lesbian protagonists, and it just barely touches on drug use, eating disorders, and abusive relationships. Joanna has a mostly supportive family, even if they do ask her to hide her sexuality for her senior year in the new town. Jo reluctantly agrees to do so, but doesn't count on falling in love with a girl at her new school.

The book deals a LOT with religion and sexuality; Jo's father is a radio preacher, and she attends a baptist church in town with her stepmother and new grandparents. At one point - one of my favorite scenes in the book - she snaps, and calls out her classmates for thinking homosexuality is a sin, while they eat shellfish and have premarital sex.

I liked the book, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. I grew up Christian; I'm familiar with all the concepts in the book, but rather than progress to a kinder, more loving version of Christianity, I left it behind altogether. I'm glad that some people can reconcile religion with progressive values, but I can't. So it might be a good book for some, but not for me.You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com