readlaughlove
2199 points
readlaughlove commented on wednesdaymourning's update
readlaughlove commented on readlaughlove's update
readlaughlove finished a book
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Rivers Solomon
5readlaughlove wrote a review...
I feel speechless actually (but will go on to write several paragraphs 😂). Usually when I’m reading a book, I make mental notes about things I want to mention in my review. But for this book, I felt like I never knew what was happening or what was going to happen (not in a bad way). There were so many different dynamics happening and I was too emotionally invested to analyze everything. But I am hoping to reread this is the future and I’ll be more rooted in the experience!
The plot was a little confusing. So much was going on. The rules/systems of the Matilda are really intricate, but I was not able to fully understand them. The different floors/levels related to the different amount of humanness the Sovereignty assigned to people. People on the lower levels needed a pass to go anywhere, which reminded me of the checkpoints in Palestine. There’s so much more imagery and metaphors related to labor, segregation, resistance, creativity, community, love, and other aspects of the Black experience in America. Hopefully, when I reread this in a couple of years, I will be able to add more commentary in the comments!
As for the characters, my favorite parts of the story!
Aster, my love! I am not neurodivergent and I learned so much from the way Aster was written! I don’t know how to begin describing Aster. She is curious and stubborn, which lends itself to hopefulness. She is unwaveringly herself, even when she has doubts because of the way she’s treated.
Giselle is an antagonist, but I am endeared to her as well. She’s destructive and harms herself and others constantly throughout the story. That is how she’s choosing to cope with all the trauma she endures. But, nevertheless, is still loved by Aster and others. She acknowledges that she’s causing harm, but feels like she has to be destructive. Giselle’s character, even with all that she did, brings me a lot of comfort for some reason. Maybe she is cathartic for me. I will probably think about her for a long time and maybe I’ll figure this out eventually.
For Theo, I can’t say too much without spoilers. I did value his character. All I will say is that he reminds me of Isaac in “Wild Seed” by Octavia E. Butler.
Ainy/Melusine is so important to me! An aromatic character that has no desire for kids, but caregiver to so many children. I don’t agree with everything she thought and did, but I appreciate an older character in this story. I may feel differently about her during my reread (because her relationship with Aster seems really different than with other people) but , I don’t know.
Rivers Solomon’s writing always makes me view the world in a different way. I can’t believe this is a debut novel! I feel like I lived a whole lifetime reading this book. Some of the pacing was a little uneven, and I did wish that some concepts of the book were deeper connected/explained. But wow!
Edit: I forgot to mention: the exploration of gender and sexuality in this book were so deeply intimate and sometimes painful. And similarly with religion. This is a heavy book with as much cruelty as there is love, so please look at the content warnings and be kind to yourself while reading, and afterwards. Happy reading!
3readlaughlove finished a book
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Rivers Solomon
5readlaughlove commented on a post
thank you to everyone who vote! it was close, but our winner is Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson by Tourmaline!🏳️🌈
one of the many names i hope we learn and celebrate this month/summer, Marsha P. Johnson is remembered for her political activism for our trans and queer communities, through the many ways we live, exist, and survive. celebrating Pride would not be possible without Marsha so i am thrilled to read about her alongside others this month and next 💖
as a reminder, this is an unofficial readalong, no badges nor requirement, but hopefully reminds us why mourning and celebrating our past makes fighting and advocating for our future ever more radical, cherished, and present.
looking forward to everyone's discussion, either here in this forum and in the book forum!
for additional reading/context, here are a few articles/books about Marsha, her legacy, and queer history (please feel free to share your own!):
1. OUThistory.org 2. WomensHistory.org 3. Women&theAmericanStory.org 4. MarshaPJohnsonInstitute.org 5. NYPL Digital Collections 6. A Black Queer History of the United States (ReVisioning History) by C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost 7. Pay It No Mind YT Documentary 8. The Stonewall Readerby the New York Public Library
8readlaughlove commented on a post
Hi everyone! Our unofficial summer readalong for The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin starts today and will run until August 31! I am still wrapping up my current read but am planning to start in the next day or two at the latest. This one is so, so beloved, and I have been dying to read it, so I can’t wait to get started!! I started looking up some discussion questions for the book, but I think that a lot of them really start to spoil the book, so I think what I will probably do is wait until halfway through our readalong (mid-July ish) and post some discussion questions in here then! Our unofficial readalongs are never meant to take away discussion from the forum, so I am looking forward to seeing you all in there!!
31readlaughlove commented on readlaughlove's update
readlaughlove commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Happy pride month for those who are LGBTQ and those who are just allies .
Today, I come with questions about LGBTQ characters , pride themes , etc . Now , like always , I will put a question in case you don't want to answer one or two. You don't have to answer all of them
Off to the questions:
1: Do you prefer queer books where sexuality/gender is central to the plot, or where it's simply part of the character's life?
2: What's one LGBTQ+ book you wish existed but haven't found yet?
3: What's a book you'll defend no matter what?
4: Which book character would you absolutely never date?
And just fun, if you don't want to answer any of these
What's your favorite colour on a book ? Was it described a certain way or just on the cover
As always , keep hydrated and I'll see you next time 🏳️🌈
15readlaughlove commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
there's been quite a few times when i watch a movie/series and i wish that there were books for them so with that, what are some movies/series that you guys wish had books?
25readlaughlove commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Firstly,greetings fellow boundlings! I hope you guys are doing great and that I hope May was kind to you guys and that you achieved the goals you had for the month. As for me, I've achieved some of it as I managed to finish my Austen marathon and started on my mystery run with some good old Agatha Christie.
Secondly,Happy Pride Month to all the queer Boundlings on here🌈! Know that you are loved and seen by many of us here! I hope you guys have a wonderful month and get the chance to live as your authentic selves!
Thirdly, what are everyone's plans for the month? As for me, book wise want to do one more Poirot story then read another book because there are a lot of Poirot books to get through and I think that's what I'll be doing for the rest of the month. Life wise, I'm winding up my application for my degree so that I can go abroad✈️📚!
Overall,I hope everyone has a lovely month ahead and that everyone achieves their goals and fulfills their plans for the month!
Lots of love, Nicotherelative ❤️.
28readlaughlove commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
For those of us that love collecting Quest badges, how do you personally decide which badges you want to showcase? Do you rotate them around or stick with a couple favorites, and how do you choose which to show off (by level, genre, etc.)? Personally, I like to show off a variety of different badges (just like I try to have some diversity in My Taste books), but I really would love to knowhow everyone else picks their badges. Alternatively, if you don't like having badges on your profile, I'd love to know why as well.
34readlaughlove commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
My feed has been filled with badge announcements today. Congratulations on your badge(s)! May I just say how much I admire everyone for getting a head start? Really, absolutely, positively could not be me.
I’m curious how everyone picked their choices for their advance reads (if this was intentional and not already a read book) and what motivated you to get started so quickly. Especially for the Pride books, I’d prefer to read in June.
Anyway. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the events and the books you read. Happy Pride! 🏳️🌈💖🏳️⚧️
41readlaughlove commented on readlaughlove's update
readlaughlove is interested in reading...
Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama (Critical American Studies)
Diane C. Fujino
2readlaughlove is interested in reading...
Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama (Critical American Studies)
Diane C. Fujino
2readlaughlove commented on ingodenker's update
ingodenker TBR'd a book
Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama (Critical American Studies)
Diane C. Fujino
3readlaughlove commented on ingodenker's update
ingodenker TBR'd a book
Open Water
Caleb Azumah Nelson
3readlaughlove commented on ingodenker's update
ingodenker finished a book
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
Imani Perry
7readlaughlove commented on FleurDeAvis28's update
FleurDeAvis28 made progress on...
Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1)
Elizabeth Lim
2readlaughlove commented on robyn00's update
