As always, this is my holy grail when it comes to the bones of these quarters. Thank you bunches, Publishers Lunch, for putting this together. & lookinAs always, this is my holy grail when it comes to the bones of these quarters. Thank you bunches, Publishers Lunch, for putting this together. & looking forward to seeing you all virtually later this evening!
(Thank you bunches to Publishers Lunch, NetGalley & all of the authors and publishers who allowed us this sneak peek!)...more
This. Is. Too. Cute. I haven't seen someone succeed in making depresh this adorable in a while. Sad Nuggie was almost everything I h(4.5/5, rounded up)
This. Is. Too. Cute. I haven't seen someone succeed in making depresh this adorable in a while. Sad Nuggie was almost everything I hoped it would be, the more miserable the better. It just felt like it jumped around a lot, I wish there were more transitions between each piece vs beginning w a new section. The -.5 is taken for that reason.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an easy chuckle or, as the description already says, anyone who has ever been tired of adulting.
(Thank you bunches to Sad Nuggie, Anastasia Sevastyanova, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!)...more
This is what I've wanted from comparable titles and then some!
From the sounds of it, I'm Gina's prime audience. Neurospicy (note I (4.5/5, rounded up)
This is what I've wanted from comparable titles and then some!
From the sounds of it, I'm Gina's prime audience. Neurospicy (note I don't have an ASC diagnosis. tbh I'm not certain someone diagnosed would get much more than validation out of this), late 20's, figuring out as we go what a mess healthcare is. Especially mental healthcare, & especially for women. Autism is yet another area science *cough* men *cough* and the field of medicine have failed us.
The info isn't consistently presented in layman's terms (Gina's way is ideal, IMO) so this may not be as accessible to those without at least a bit of background knowledge. But for me, it was exactly what I'd hoped. The stats aspect, while much too narrow for obvious reasons, further enlightened the utter crap that is AFAB vs AMAB studies and the conclusions made from them. It's wild that this big of a hole has been dug for us by past the failures of people we'll never meet.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone close to someone w on the ASC spectrum, who works w someone on the ASC spectrum, wondering if they may also be a mis- or missed diagnosis or are just hoping to learn more on the subject.
Side note: I was SO glad the background 0f Asperger (the person) was mentioned, because he sucks. Big time. Hard pass on Nazis & eugenics.
Catherine Bailey did a great job w the audiobook. Very clearly spoken and with a great, natural rhythm.
Thank you bunches to Gina Rippon, Catherine Bailey, Seal Press, Hachette Audio & NetGalley for the DRC & ALC in exchange for my honest review!...more
A Hundred Years and a Day by Tomoka Shibasaki, translated from the Japanese by Polly Burko is one of most unique story collections I’ve read in a whilA Hundred Years and a Day by Tomoka Shibasaki, translated from the Japanese by Polly Burko is one of most unique story collections I’ve read in a while.
Sometimes when collections skew experimental, I find myself losing some enjoyment to the extra brainpower it takes me to keep up—certainly not the case here.
Yet again, Polly doesn’t steer me wrong. Truthfully, the cover & Polly’s name are what pushed me to give this one a try. The more translated lit I read, the more I learn to trust my favorite translators’ tastes. Polly is easily one of my auto-buy translators.
I recommend this one to fans of translated lit, unique structuring in story collections and/or lovers of indie presses. @stonebridgepress is SUCH a great source for Japanese literature!! & I’m so grateful for this #gifted finished copy, thank you bunches ...more
(4.5/5, rounded up) (Pushkin Press on NG!?!? Is it my bday or something?)
Anyway, I finished this in one sitting. As always w Pushkin, the translation w(4.5/5, rounded up) (Pushkin Press on NG!?!? Is it my bday or something?)
Anyway, I finished this in one sitting. As always w Pushkin, the translation was smooth and nearly unnoticeable—only the words where English fell short skipped me up at first. Asa Yoneda is now on my radar, for sure.
Kumi Kimura accomplished so much in just over 100 pages. The length is prime for re-reads, as well—always a bonus when purchasing shorter books.
{Thank you bunches to Kumi Kimura, Asa Yoneda, Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
This is the coolest experimental lit I've ever come across. Notice that's all encompassing; I didn't stick to poetry for the scope. If I'm calling it This is the coolest experimental lit I've ever come across. Notice that's all encompassing; I didn't stick to poetry for the scope. If I'm calling it experimental and shouldn't be, my bad. But it feels experimental, bc I've never seen/read/experienced anything else like it and have never been so pleasantly surprised by a collection of poetry.
Some of the emotions this brought up were visceral and—unfortunately for anyone who knows this—extremely accurate. The emotions conveyed in the in the situations I couldn't identify with—still knocked the wind out of me. I'm certain part of this has been my looking in the wrong places and/or not hard enough, but it seems like 2025 has started to grant visibility to art touching on the disparity in life experiences between the currently able and disabled (fking FINALLY). It's so cool you literally can't forget about it during Hardly Creatures, every time it starts floating to the back of your mind there's a new page with its necessary symbols.
I am DYING to see this in print, because I'm sure a screen can't do the graphics or formatting any justice. Plusss this is def going to be a re-reader for me; I'm sure I missed things the first time around that I'd be able appreciate with another go.
I highly highly suggest this for anyone who enjoyed Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa (translated by Polly Barton) or Walking Practice by Dolki Min. Or vice verse! Enjoy this? Try those, too! But be warned they're a little...weirder lol
{Thank you bunches to Rob Macaisa Colgate, Tin House and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
Ok WOW I thought all of the 5 star ratings might be a bangwagon everyone was hopping on... Nope. This is just as good as everyone is saying. I (4.5/5)
Ok WOW I thought all of the 5 star ratings might be a bangwagon everyone was hopping on... Nope. This is just as good as everyone is saying. I will be thanking my peer pressure-er's profusely. I'm learning I'm VERY picky when it comes to horror (not in the sense that I think others are objectively bad, I just know they aren't for mmeee personally), but this checked all the boxes I didn't even know I had. & bonus points for hilarity, just the right amount. I am so so so excited to have given this a chance.
Editing to add: I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook in advance as well, and narrator Anna Burnett does a fantastic job. If you like thaking the route, I'd recommend print & audio in tandem. Hearing how Victoria intended this to sound reminded me of doing the same w Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán. Victorian Psycho also reminds me a little bit of My Men by Victoria Kielland translated by Damion Searls, though I'm not sure if that's simply recency bias.
{Thank you bunches to Virginia Feito, W. W. Norton & Company, Liveright, Anna Burnett, RB Media and NetGalley for the DRC & ALC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
This is SO cool and I don't know why I didn't pull the trigger on it earlier. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone who likes to stay up to date onThis is SO cool and I don't know why I didn't pull the trigger on it earlier. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone who likes to stay up to date on what's coming soon. Esp if, like me, you get overwhelmed and nervous you'll request the wrong galleys.
{Thank you bunches to Publisher's Lunch, all of the authors & publishers included and NetGalley for this DRC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
What I loved most about this is how clearly Sameer Pandya's background in cultural studies, specifically cultural dislocation, shined through.
At timesWhat I loved most about this is how clearly Sameer Pandya's background in cultural studies, specifically cultural dislocation, shined through.
At times I felt the novel was a little all over the place, some additions unnecessary in my opinion. I'm also not a huge fan of long books, so it could be my bias.
{Thank you bunches to Sameer Pandya, Ballantine Books, Random House Group and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
God, I love them. I had no idea she was a quadruple threat??? She's a comedian??? I mean obvi from her insta stories (sorry guys IDylan. Is. An. Icon.
God, I love them. I had no idea she was a quadruple threat??? She's a comedian??? I mean obvi from her insta stories (sorry guys I'm too millennial for tiktok, my brain shorts out) she's hilarious, but the amount of thought and intent behind their words? Wow.
Dylan is less than 1k days into Girlhood by the time I write this, but she has learnedddd the lessons - and learned 'em fast. At times it feels like homejoy (iykyk) is MacGyver'ing Girlhood (this is 0 shade, have you SEEN MacGyver?), and that's part of the beauty. We're all just winging it. And their transparency in that? Refreshing is an understatement. Dyl had me cry-laughing, Dylan had me cry-crying. The way she is able to put into words some of the feelings I've had since the day I first perceived being perceived speaks wonders to her experiences in and around femininity.
Such shitty timing to be writing this review, post-election that didn't go the way we'd hoped. I woke up, heard the news, finished this ARC, then sat in silence for...a while. It makes this stunning memoir even more powerful. Do you see what's at stake here? What if we didn't have her? How could anyone be afraid of someone else blossoming so beautifully? An olive branch is certainly not the right word for this, as there is no mutual disrespect or misgivings. This is simply a masterclass in peoplehood. We are LUCKY to have this memoir. These words are not owed to us, especially not with how we (the media) have treated them. Finally, things are on Dylan's terms - albeit to a fault (it'll make sense if/when you read).
I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this review and adding more once I'm further out from finishing it, and from all of the stupidity that is being an American.
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Dylan Mulvaney and Abrams for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}
PS Dyl if you're reading this, PLEASSSEEEEEEE narrate your own audiobook, I'd listen on repeat.
EDITING 3/6/25 to SCREAAAAAM a thank you to Dylan for narrating this beauty!!! I didn't lie girl, I've listened more than once....more
Ngl, this is as dad joke-y as I was hoping it wouldn't be. Granted, the mention of hookers and white powder does give it more of an edge. Still not enNgl, this is as dad joke-y as I was hoping it wouldn't be. Granted, the mention of hookers and white powder does give it more of an edge. Still not enough to qualify as fked up though, if you ask me. (You did, unfortunately.) I did still get some giggles out of it though! It's not a waste of time, it's just not something I'd recommend to my own friends. Great for someone with a more civil sense of humor :)
{Thank you bunches to Elizabeth Saake, The Collective Book Studio and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!)...more
HOLY SH!T MATT STEVENS JUST BROKE THE "PORTFOLIO" MOLD!
1) This is genius 2) I'd put the majority of these on my walls, what I'd pass on would just be bHOLY SH!T MATT STEVENS JUST BROKE THE "PORTFOLIO" MOLD!
1) This is genius 2) I'd put the majority of these on my walls, what I'd pass on would just be bc I haven't seen the movie 3) Calling this a coffee table book would be disrespectful, this is...wow
Some personal favorites, Bottle Rocket, Good Will Hunting, Dumb and Dumber, The Game, Edward Scissorhands (GET THAT ON MY WALL THIS INSTANT!!!!!), Nightcrawler, Blair Witch Project, PeeWee's Big Adventure is such a vibe ugh take me back to childhood plz, Elf, Hot Rod, Napoleon Dynamite, Anatomy of a Fall (get on my wall), Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (OMG seriously I will buy this print for my son's room I'm going to check Matt's site after I post this), Get Out & The Truman Show.
Wow, you are one talented designed.
{Thank you bunches to Matt Stevens, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}...more
(4.5/5, rounded up) Portalmania by Debbie Urbanski is novel-in-stories-ish & is as bizzare as it is erudite. I'll call it...sci-auto-fic horror w a das(4.5/5, rounded up) Portalmania by Debbie Urbanski is novel-in-stories-ish & is as bizzare as it is erudite. I'll call it...sci-auto-fic horror w a dash of memoir.
For the first 30-ish pages I was fairly confused. Anyone who has read Marlen Haushofer—that's the kind of confused. I had an inkling the content was well within my grasp, I just needed a sec to adjust to her way of thinking & the accompanying flow. This is going to sound so ridic, so hear me out. They both share a vibe similar to how I'd imagine feeling if I came across a cool, super nice, magical troll lady under a bridge. & she told me a bunch of incredible stories I had no reason not to believe. There's just an air of respect and believability that forms around her words, no matter how strange the story they're telling.
The discovery that turned this collection on its head for me? Urbanski's Story Notes at the end of the book. You know how as you're reading, you naturally become curious which descriptions, situations, relationships, etc were transferred over as-is from the author's life? Debbie does the work for you. Each story has a correlated note including some or all of the following: resources for stats, personal experience, who helped in brainstorming, reviews & misunderstandings that came up when the story was previously published & her responses to them, closure of the gap b/w what's written in the story & what message is intended. It's so cool, I've never experienced anything like it.
Hope I haven't done this a disservice by not getting to content yet... Marriage, asexuality (sooo much rep! I applaud Debbie for this esp bc it can still seem to be a novel concept to some), parenthood, finding yourself as an adult, growing into who you are becoming (or have always been?), motherhood (SAHM esp, which I love), coercive s3x, desire, neurodiversity...Ooh, politics!! That was my fav story actually, Long May My Gap Be Bright!
I had a lot of fun reading this. It feels really weird to say that, considering how dark it got at times. But it's the truth—overall I had fun! This is so uncomfy to say lol I feel so bad about how much I liked it terms of Story Notes nonfic Debbie, but for funky author Debbie I'm pumped!
Can't recommend this enough, esp to anyone who loves Her Body and Other Parties, The Wall or Wake Up and Open Your Eyes!
Portalmania was dedicated "To anyone who has needed a portal" Is it fair to say the pursuing of that need is how we all ended up on booksta? Of is booksta the portal itself?
Thank you bunches to Debbie Urbanski, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the physical and DRC!...more
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