beanie baby worm blog

Spoiler free I enjoyed this book a lot. I haven’t read Butter but know a little bit about it. It was more of a slow exploration of the characters than a thriller or anything particularly plot-driven. So going into this book, I didn’t have too many preset notions of what it could contain. I was just along for the ride. And it really did not disappoint. Like I had heard about Butter , this book was an exploration of the two women and their relationship/interactions. As an American reader, I tried to place myself in the shoes of the author or someone culturally assimilated in Japan. So rather than measure these women’s thoughts or actions against my own experiences or whether or not I agreed or empathized with the story or characters, I tried to appreciate it for what it is and its intended audience. So the narrative touches on so many topics: the dynamics and difficulties of female friendships and understanding others, sexism and societal expectations for women, navigating big-pictur...

Spoiler free I really liked this book. It’s a wonderfully executed piece of speculative fiction, imagining how humans will orchestrate the rise of technology, artificial intelligence, and medical research, and in turn, how humankind will have a role in allowing this technology to eventually shape us, and what that might look like. It’s simultaneously a love letter to humanity and a warning of what our world, shaped by violence and greed, could and will likely look like, even if it comes about differently. It’s a deftly written and concisely constructed plot that covers a vast scope of ideas in a very short volume. Fans of VanderMeer and Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle will enjoy this book, but it also stands on its own without comparisons since it’s so unique. I’m intimidated by sci-fi and speculative fiction, but this book doesn’t get bogged down in over-explaining scientific elements. The novel takes the form of a chain of chronological journal entries by subsequent related parties. The tech...

I read this a few years ago, and it was an immediate favorite which is why I had been wanting to reread it since I finished it the first time. I finally picked it back up recently, and upon my reread, I realized more aspects that I appreciated. Namely, this book is masterful in its use of contrast. Achilles, the deadliest and fated to be the greatest warrior (or killer…) of his era, is yet naive and innocent about life’s harsher realities. Patroclus, meek and demure, holds the strongest moral compass of them all. They grow up together, then slowly, all at once, fall in love. It just feels so obviously… right. Some argue their characters needed more fleshing out, and while I agree to a certain extent with Achilles, for the purposes of the love story, it doesn’t feel necessary to explain why they fell in love. It just feels natural. There are so many facets: war, power, obsession. Achilles’ weaknesses: his legacy, hubris, Patroclus. Patroclus’ weakness: Achilles, his friends. Readers oft...

I say this in the most respectful way possible, but why did I think Murakami had passed already? I found out he’s 75 years old after reading this, my first Murakami ever. Anyways, I guess all I’m trying to say is that his work seems so prolific in culture and the sphere of well-known books that I had kind of assumed his works are classics when they’re actually contemporary fiction, or I guess modern classics? Is that a compliment? Maybe. (Not sure where the line gets drawn for what’s considered a modern classic.) I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. My dad tells me that there are either good books or bad books, in the sense that they’re either enjoyable to read or not. And this is a truly enjoyable book to read and experience. Not a single moment dragged, not a page was wasted. This is the second short story collection I’ve read this month that I’ve really enjoyed, so I’m surprised because I never really enjoyed collections of stories or poems—I’m more of a novel person. ...

This was everything I was expecting and hoping for. I read Three Women earlier this year, and knew immediately that Taddeo would continue to shock me, make me contemplate, sit in uncomfortable feelings. Her writing is unflinching, non-judging. She truly gives her narrators space to truly show who they are, baring themselves for the world to see, whether they like it or not. I knew I had to read Animal , which is fiction while Three Women was a narrative nonfiction book.  This gives everything that My Year of Rest and Relaxation thinks it gives. The narrator is what I imagine to be the final boss of female anguish, rage, pain. This novel even argues that female rage at its core is nothing more than pain gone unnoticed, frustration gone ignored, trauma gone sour. I wanted to read about female rage, and was presented with that and so much more. This novel’s plot is nonlinear, it jumps from memory to present and vice versa, from stating events to deep reflections, playing with these ...

I did not enjoy Book Lovers nearly as much as I had hoped when I picked it up, hoping to cure my case of FOMO from seeing everyone and their mom post about Henry on this platform. I promise I’m not a contrarian. I really wanted to like this a lot, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Emily Henry. So, I had to know what’s up with Henry’s work because I am a self-proclaimed romance connoisseur and I have quite a few romances under my belt. But honestly, I was pretty bored by this. But I think my bar is just set pretty high. I didn’t feel particularly attached to any of the characters, and the story was kind of forgettable. It was cute but didn’t touch me deeply or make any sort of mark on me. It dragged a bit, and the ending was a tiny bit rushed. I didn’t find the male lead swoon-worthy or the female lead very interesting. I suppose there’s some emotional back and forth in the story, so there was a bit of tension and such, but nothing really monumental. I think that the new age...

Where do I begin with this one…. I was not prepared to be impressed by this one, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. I know, I’m usually a D1 hater and make it my mission to read popular books and discuss my honest thoughts which are usually less than impressed. However, maybe, just maybe, my first Reid is worthy of some praise! It's been too long since a genre fiction novel has been thoroughly enjoyable. Basically the premise of this entire book is that a woman marries a guy and then he disappears because of a plane crash and she moves on after a year or two and gets engaged. But the plot thickens when the original husband is actually alive and comes back. She finds herself being pulled in both directions because it’s impossible for her to decide which guy to stay with. Because marriage is serious business, and she doesn't take it lightly that it is her literal husband who just came back. But she loves her current fiancé deeply, so what is a girl to do? There is a lot of ...

This has been staring at me from my shelf for the past two and a half years so I finally grabbed it and finished it in two days. If anything, I'm just glad to be rid of it from my unread shelf. But onto the review: In short, this was enjoyable overall, but did not impress me. The book is written by an author who interviewed the man who this story is based on, so it’s based on a true story, but I think one must take the events in the novel with a grain of salt. I’ve heard inklings that this isn’t completely historically accurate. So fine, that’s not a big deal. But something I noticed was that the writing relies on listing facts and events and feelings that the main character feels rather than an expression of a visceral response to such horrific events that Lale must witness. If the author had been trying to write an autobiography or memoir that’s completely accurate, then I understand why she couldn’t exactly put words and feelings into Lale’s mouth. But she's already taking l...

My favorite book when I was fourteen was It Ends with Us . I didn’t read Hoover's other books at the time, but this was when I was blowing through romance novels with no sense of how it may be affecting my pubescent brain or my focus on more important things, like school. I kind of forgot about her until she blew up in 2020, and initially, I was laughing at how everyone caught on years after I had. However, that changed when many began to criticize her, and for good reason. Her writing doesn't always promote the healthiest relationships or depict the most sensible women, or most respectable men. I wanted to know what all the fuss and attention was about in 2021, so I read more of her work and was pretty disappointed, November 9 , Ugly Love , and Confess were all sort of childish and the writing was even quite bad at times. I realized that I've grown out of such novels that over-explain things in a way that isn’t beautiful or insightful the way that Hoover does. I recently ...

So imagine a thin, white, blonde girl who is obsessed with herself. Then make her mentally ill, deranged, and have the resources to take drugs and do nothing inside of her New York apartment for an entire year. That was the entirety of this book. The narrator of this novel decides she’s had enough of life. She is dealing with a lot of trauma and grief over her parents who passed, who were not very good to her to begin with, something that she touches on multiple times. Many tout this novel as relatable and while not realistic, who hasn’t had the urge to sleep away all your troubles and emerge refreshed and new? But the record scratches, because since when did mental illness excuse casual, random, unnecessary, rude commentary about others, constantly thinking about how much “better” (skinnier, richer) she is than her “best friend” (the only person insane enough to put up with her), and looking down at those not as privileged as her? I kid you not, as she’s in the throes of looking crust...

The length of this short book was perfect because if it stretched any longer I probably would have gotten tired of it. Each entry in this book is simply a description of a different variation of what time is in a certain world, captured in just a couple pages. The concept was dreamy and at times quite poetic, but the execution felt like something was missing and didn't feel quite as precise or meaningful as I had hoped when I saw that this book is quite acclaimed.  I still remember the day my dad gifted this to me. I was laying in bed after a long morning of sitting in my online summer calculus lectures and I was feeling pretty burnt out. I hate math and it brings up a lot of bad memories and negative feelings. This is a result of my childhood and the years of attempting to beat the intuition and knowledge required to maneuver through mathematical problems and calculations into myself, but to no avail. I had to take the course to complete my calculus requirements for my degree, a B...

James and the Giant Peach is one of many Roald Dahl stories I remember consuming when I was young. It's a shorter one, but just as memorable as Dahl's longer and more famous works such as Matilda  and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Ever since writing my Children's Literature paper on the latter and reflecting on some of my childhood favorite books, I've come to the conclusion that Dahl shaped my love for reading at a young age and I'd even go as far as to say that I may not have such an affection for reading if it weren't for silly books such as these that stuck with me ever since reading them for the first time. So I love to read one of Dahl's works when I get the chance, just to relive those moments of joy I had when I read as a child. This short novel was just as I remembered, although I had completely forgot the plot of it. James fits the typical Dahl archetype of a perfect little child who is fit and deserving of an adventure after all they've...

I am a big fan of LGBTQ+ romance; I enjoy the layers and complexities to the stories unfolding on the pages, they usually offer many insights and retrospections that are not as commonly found in run of the mill genre romances that tickle the readers' ears with lovey stories where everything works itself out, a happily ever after is basically a guarantee. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both genres and categories of stories immensely, I find both to be beautiful in their own respective rights. But when I picked this up at the secondhand store, the back cover's description drew me in with its grittiness and I knew this would not fall into the category of a rosy romance; I'm not even sure if I am able to describe it as LGBTQ+ romance, although it paints an illustration of a man deeply obsessed with another man.  What Belongs To You  fell into the category of books that I'm sure are objectively enthralling and artful in its execution and delivery. However, I found that I di...

This was a wonderful story, perfectly paced and with lovable characters and banter, comedic, but with complex themes. Reminiscent of Fredrick Bachman’s works that I have read such as A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here, it also features a cantankerous character who gains a new lease on life through the connections they create in the story that change their perspectives and turns their world upside down. It also reminded me of The Woman in the Window, if you read both, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  I found that Eleanor was really funny, not on purpose, just because she’s so socially awkward with no bad intentions. When she called Raymond back to ask him to pay her back for his drink right as he was leaving and he stared at her, I genuinely laughed, it was like I was there. Despite the humor, there were really dark themes in the story that led her to her state of shutting herself off: the crushing weight of her loneliness, depressing nature of her existence, and survival...

I have heard about this being comparable to the Kiss Quotient Series by Helen Hoang, and I am always interested in what romance is currently popular in the market. I thought this was overall pretty good, it had some common tropes that we all know and love such as bad boy, nerdy/good girl, and forced proximity as they are living in the same apartment complex, but it was unique and not cliché at all. I liked the diversity and the representation of those with disabilities was nicely done, Chloe has fibromyalgia but the story neither avoided it nor revolved around it; It was actually quite sweet to witness Red take care of her as he slowly enters her life. I was fond of the cute moments between the two of them and how they slowly grow on each other; I thought that the dual POV was well done, I liked how Chloe’s POV was obviously her, with the more extensive vocabulary than Red, it’s the little things that add up to a well executed romance and novel in general.  Unfortunately, I just fe...

Everything about the experience of reading and consuming  The Housekeeper and the Professor  was beautiful, the writing style, the plot, the relationships and the pacing were all masterful, and has to be one of my top reads of the year. Every time I reflect on my time reading this book, which felt like a work of art, I am struck by how beautiful everything about it was, and am reminded of how I read it slowly, with breaks in between, to extend the longevity of my enjoyment.  I will be thinking about this book long after I have finished it and for good reason, I have no complaints. I loved how this touches on platonic love, although the housekeeper and her son, Root, are self proclaimed friends of the professor, their relationship feels more familial with how close they are, and the extent of their shared experiences and care for each other. The housekeeper is drawn to the professor and gets sucked into his world of mathematics and it is described as feeling like an awaken...

I found Normal People  to be very unique and interesting, I thought it was well done for I interpreted as what Rooney was trying to convey, but isn’t personally my favorite book or piece of literary fiction I’ve ever read. The writing style many have heralded as the next big thing, and account for their love for her works was very sparse, so much so that I caught myself accidentally skimming at times. The most minute of details of their days and relationships are displayed, as the teenage to twenty something year old characters move through their life throughout the span of the book. Being struck by random nuggets of deeply impactful lines and moments between Marianne and Connell throughout was a pleasant surprise, I love when a book has moments that really make me stop in my tracks mid-read Despite the widespread success of Normal People  as Rooney's most popular work, I can see why people criticize this one, the characters fell a little flat at times and I was left for ...

The Lucky One was my first Nicholas Sparks novel and I went into it with curiosity and an open mind. I’ve been contemplating what exactly makes romance so compelling as a genre, not only for me but for its widespread audience, so what better novel to read than one by a household romance author name?  In The Lucky One , Sparks sells the idea that that love is simple when its right; that everything turns out okay when it’s with “the One,” and everything will simply fall into place when this is the case. The novel was also distinctly American, with the Southern setting, lack of diverse characters, and the main character Logan being a veteran which is revered in the story. After indulging in hundreds of romance novels, spanning many genres, tropes, times of publication, settings, and more, I've realized that good romance has a way of packaging the author's intended ideas in a way that suspends disbelief, and Sparks did a good job in this novel. It was an enjoyable reading experien...

November 9  was less emotional for me than I'm sure it was intended to be due to its sheer absurdity, but it was overall decently entertaining. For context, It Ends with Us also by Colleen Hoover was my favorite book when I was 14, far before any Colleen Hoover hype hit the internet and her work saturated the market. I've attempted to return to her work after its explosive manner as of late, by reading this book, Ugly Love , and  Confess,  but none of them has had nearly the same effect it had on me as It Ends with Us  all those years ago. I am afraid to reread It Ends with Us  after hearing how underwhelming it is from current, more mature readers, as well due to as my personal reaction to her other works now that I am older.  November 9 was ultimately another disappointment to add to the collection of mediocre at best Colleen Hoover novels I have consumed. Her narrative voice and writing style tend to come off as a bit juvenile to me, and her over exagge...

While reading Everything I never Told You, I could tell that every word and sentence was carefully and deliberately put together to develop the different themes and concepts each character clings to, from chapter to chapter the layers just keep building into a precipice that made me genuinely feel for the characters and be invested in them, which is much more than I can say for the countless amount of Young Adult fiction I've consumed throughout the years. This story integrates so many themes, from how it feels to be a minority in America, sibling and familial relationships, keeping secrets, snowball effect, and more, but feels complex and meaningful rather than spread thin. I felt the most compassion and emotion for the youngest Lee sibling, Hannah, who is often pushed to the side and forgotten as a result of her parents' adoration and focus on Lydia, and even Nathan when Lydia passes. The switching timelines and jumping from the parents' relationship in the past to the tr...