I read My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee. Fully embracing maximalism, the book ebbs and flows across continents and a menagerie of situations, ranging from completely novel to entirely mundane. It took me months to finish it, and I can't really unpack why. 3/5 #accountabilityreads #booktok #booksky

I read A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang. A decent book with illustrative writing and a lot of potential, but not really my genre. Despite it being a breezy read, I struggled through it, ultimately wanting more substance, but getting mostly style. 3/5 #accountabilityreads #booksky #booktok

I read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, a cozy novel that proves that a book doesn't need to be perfect to be a perfect book. The author has a knack for conciseness and balance, even making an octopus with an inner monologue believable. 5/5 #accountabilityreads #booksky #booktok

I finished I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. Set in a visually-rich boarding school in New Hampshire, the book spans decades and covers many themes (including the central one of murder), but takes none of them far enough to be interesting. 3/5 #accountabilityreads #booksky #booktok

I read The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, a fast-paced drama that combined the complexity of culture and family with the colorful five-sensory pulse of Jaipur, India. The novel was packed to the brim with educational content and an unexpected dose of feminism. 4/5 #accountabilityreads #booksky #booktok

I finally read Room by Emma Donoghue, which lived up to the hype. Told through the eyes of Jack, a 5-year-old boy in captivity since birth, his stylistic POV allows atrocities to unravel in unexpected and unsettling ways. It ended cinematically, but satisfyingly. 4.75/5 #accountabilityreads #booksky

I read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, a surreal cross-continental juxtaposition of past, present, and future, largely told through the eyes of a one-of-a-kind 16-year-old Japanese girl. It's another book that I'll be thinking about for a while. 5/5 #accountabilityreads #booktok #booksky

I read Colored Television by Danzy Senna and thought it did a great job blending familiar themes (racial identity, Hollywood, an artist's plight, relationships) into something fresh, unexpected & funny. I wished it was longer and fleshed-out ancillary characters. 3/5 #booksky #accountabilityreads

Twenty years later, I re-read Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (still relevant today) and was reminded why he is the GOAT. He is the master of taking timeworn themes and giving them entry points that are both unexpected, ridiculous, and resonant. 5/5 #booksy #accountabilityreads #goodreads #bookbrowse

I read All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker and disliked it entirely and absolutely. The plot dragged through 600 pgs of confusing, cursive prose. The characters felt flat despite their specificity, ranging from gendered tropes to unrealistic superhumans. 2/5 #booksy #accountabilityreads

I finished Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah. It sheds light on the underserved stories of the people of colonialized East Africa in the early 20th century. I thought the book lacked rhythm, and the character development left me wanting more. 3/5. #booksky #accountabilityreads #goodreads #bookbrowse

I finished Bewilderment by Richard Powers. Just as relevant as ever, it will occupy my thoughts for a while. Author does a great job of choreographing characters in a way that makes them shockingly real and the novel is like looking into the near future. 5/5 #booksky #accountabilityreads #bookbrowse

I finished reading The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett. The book takes complex + personal topics like intersectionality, choice, family, and identity and weaves them into a lush tapestry of geographies, ethnicities, class, and gender. 5/5 would recommend. #accountabilityreads #goodreads #bookbrowse

I just finished Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. It supports a theory that the human imagination is boundless. Rich, textured writing that is utterly human. Wildly original storytelling that smashes through genres. 10/10 would recommend. #booktok #accountabilityreads #goodreads #bookbrowse

I read The Women by Kristin Hannah, an important book that illuminates the stories of the nurses who served in the Vietnam War. The subject matter is essential, but the writing left something to be desired. 7/10 would recommend. #booktok #accountabilityreads #goodreads #bookbrowse

I read Death Valley by Melissa Broder (someone who I would like to meet IRL over a cocktail). Hilarious, textured, weaving in and out of worlds. 7/10 would recommend. #booktok #accountabilityreads

I just finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Wildly vivid character development and some of the most luxurious (but not indulgent) writing I've read in a long time. 10/10 would recommend. #booktok #accountabilityreads