Reviews and Comments

It was cool to hear about all of the zines he made and other cool projects and mixtapes, as well. A few years older than me, but some of that overlap of existing prior to the internet and email being a thing. Some lines that stood out:

“Assimilation was not a problem to be solved, but the problem itself.”

“Mostly I became obsessed with the possibility of a sentence that could wind its way backward. I picked up a pen and tried to write myself back into the past.”

I enjoyed these essays and look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Loved this!

I think it’s worth reading, especially if you lost someone to suicide, and probably even more relatable if a close family member. Although it’s a memoir, it’s also in the style of investigative journalism. The author has done a lot of work in this field related to mental illness. So she adds in that experience and also history, statistics, policy, etc. I also appreciate that she explains her process and efforts on writing this book: working with her siblings on remembering key moments, acquiring police records, and interviewing others from their past.

Oooh I liked this one! A combination of birding nerd stuff and exploring the Arctic region all by hiking, skiing or paddling for 6 months, yes please. This was a nice balance of some of the logistics of the trip, plus fun wildlife information. Solid writing without too much fluff.

I enjoyed this series!

a heavy one, books on these experiences need to exist. It was hard to set down but others may find themselves wanting to take a break from the topics. Really glad that I finally read this, and it will definitely stick with me. Side note: while reading this, an article also came out about how royalties from the book go to support a home for women in recovery in the county the story is based.

Started and finished this novella on a long drive. Loved it; entertaining and good feels. I want to read more from this author as well.

I would read more from this author. I liked her zone and overall vibe of this novella.

This book was heavy but I also really enjoyed and learned a lot from it. I went with the audio book version and it was not only read well by the author but includes some helpful audio clips that really enhance her story and process of understanding her CPTSD diagnosis. She cites a few studies I want to follow up on as well.

Always excited for a new Murakami book to read.

I would have been ok with not reading this. It was somewhat interesting at the start, but just dragged on for so long with random thoughts on experiencing covid while living in NYC, and her stressing about her jewelry being stolen and connecting this to her friend’s death. I also should have counted how many Joan Didion quotes were in the book. Grief is heavy so I’m also not trying to judge how someone experiences it, but also just didn’t get much out of this book.

I went back and finished this. Not worth my time (so I multitasked while listening); it didn’t get any better.

oops, reading another grief memoir.