
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Poet X in Books
May 30, 2019
I've always loved poetry for that reason; especially poetry that plays with formatting - spacing and line breaks and size of stanzas. It's so much more evocative than simple paragraphs of prose. (My favorite poet is probably e.e. cummings, who is rather infamous for unusual formatting.)
Acavedo does similar things, making Xiomara's poetry explode across the page when necessary, and ordering it into simpler stanzas in calmer moments. It's not rhyming, even poetry; this is written slam poetry. And I love it.
Xiomara is Dominican, living in Harlem, with a very strict, religious mother. Her twin brother is gay but not out to their parents; Xiomara is fine with this but knows their mother won't be. Her poems cover her need to protect her brother and herself, both from their parents and from the outside world. She writes about street harassment and questioning God and falling in love with a boy, which is also against her mother's rules. Her poems are at turns heartbreaking and joyous, but always beautiful.
This is an amazing book, and is the second book on my Best of the Year list. I am blown away.You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com

Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Is This Thing Cursed? by Alkaline Trio in Music
Sep 11, 2018
They have been releasing good albums for 20-odd years now, and their wry wit and ear for a catchy tune have made them a special place in my heart.
This new release is the first since Matt Skiba joined up with Blink 182, and is a reassuring return to their sound of recent years, with a focus on dark but polished pop-punk.
I have struggled to pick out many tunes that leap from the album and into a best of playlist, with most tunes being enjoyable without really standing on their own.
This may not be a bad thing necessarily, and it may just necessitate additional listens, but after 2 album long listens, I still maintain this position.
I think this is an album for the fans, one that consolidates their fanbase by giving them a solid, safe and unadventurous collection of songs that reassures them that the Trio are still around, but not wanting to risk being accused of changing their sound because of Skiba's involvements elsewhere.
A good album, a 7/10 at this point, but I may revisit later, as sometimes they can grow on you over time.

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Even If I Fall in Books
Jan 23, 2019
In "Even If I Fall" by Abigail Johnson, Brooke's life is destroyed when her beloved brother confesses to killing his best friend, Calvin. Beginning about a year after the confession, the story focuses on Brooke, her family, and the struggles they have while trying continue with their lives.Brooke can not talk to her family so, because of a rainy day and a broken drown truck, she finds the one person she can talk to and who will understand, Calvin's brother.
I work in the criminal justice system and have seen how families are affected by one person's crime. They often can not talk to other family members because they are hurting just as much. One case sticks out among all of the others I have seen. At the beginning of the trial, two grandmothers, the defendant's and the victim's, sat as far away as possible from each other. By the end of the trial, when the verdict was read, they held each other up for support and said, "No one wins. Two young men's lives are ruined". The grandmothers left the courtroom still holding each other.
I have added both of Johnson's other book to my want to read list.

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Ignite the Shadows (Ignite the Shadows, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I always have a thing for books related to hacking (or if the main character is a hacker). But while <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> certainly isn't about hacking (it only plays a minor part to the story), I still enjoyed the book regardless and the world Seymour builds. <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is almost like a combination of the first and second book in a typical dystopian trilogy, which makes it stand out.
Plus, an <i>infection</i> is involved, and it's just really cool how those infected by sentient parasites can take advantage and develop superpowers - very similar to <i>I Am Number Four</i> in my opinion. Trying to get used to those parasites in a symbiotic relationship is definitely going to be a struggle for Marci continuing through the second book, but I think it'll be an adventure to see what Marci comes up with.
<i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is fast paced and intriguing - I have high hopes for this series despite the power similarities to <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-i-am-number-four-by-pittacus-lore/">I Am Number Four</a>.</i>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-ignite-shadows-by-ingrid-seymour-review/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

The Boy is Gone: Conversations with a Mau Mau General
Book
A story with the power to change how people view the last years of colonialism in East Africa, The...

I Flew for the Fuhrer
Book
Heinz Knoke was one of the outstanding German fighter pilots of World War II and this vivid...

The Flower Appreciation Society: An A to Z of All Things Floral
Book
Anna Day and Ellie Jauncey are not your average florists. Friends first and business partners later,...

How to Date Dead Guys (The Witch`s Handbook #1)
Book
College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around,...

Murder Most Unladylike: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
Book
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for...
Magnificence
Book
I loathe us, I loathe our stupid puerile view of the world ...That we have only to do it, that we...