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GivenLemons

GivenLemons

Joined May 2018

review
GivenLemons
Nimona | Noelle Stevenson
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Pickpick

How is this so cute and yet so resonant! I picked it up because it‘s written by Noelle Stevenson, but I was engrossed from page 1. Cannot recommend enough!

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GivenLemons
Wildcard | Marie Lu
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Pickpick

This has more conspiracy and less warcross than the first book, and I really enjoyed it! Really interesting to look at how the technology affect society

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GivenLemons
The Refrigerator Monologues | Catherynne M. Valente
Pickpick

An amazing book! It features 6 women each with distinct voices and stories! It recentres ignored women in comics, but you don‘t need to know about comics to like it!

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GivenLemons
INSEXTS Vol. 1: Chrysalis | Marguerite Bennett, Ariela Kristantina (Illustrator)
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Pickpick

This was beautiful and creepy! I didn‘t know I needed this but I loved the inversion of the usual tropes of feminine body horror. Also creepy insects and ladies getting revenge!

7 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

I really liked the emphasis on systems and the way that systems of oppression affect everyone, but it is a little out of date. It‘s not the most approachable for a primer, but definitely interesting.

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GivenLemons
Ladycastle | Delilah S Dawson
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Pickpick

This was ridiculously fun! I loved the recentering of women in classic fantasy tropes, played straight and subverted. The nods to famous works were a lot of fun and I loved how everyone found where they were happiest.

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

This is such a fantastic book! I stayed up late to read it, because I just couldn‘t put it down! It‘s beautiful and creepy and twisty

5 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
Zone One: A Novel | Colson Whitehead
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Pickpick

I generally enjoyed this book, which is a testament to Whitehead‘s writing. But I didn‘t find the humour and satire (although I may have missed the window for the satire). I found it truly difficult to connect with the characters, especially Mark Spitz because he seemed to be lacking in character traits. It might just be me, but the philosophical point of humans being zombies before the plague didn‘t quite land because he felt so unrealistic.

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GivenLemons
Wayward Son | Rainbow Rowell
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Pickpick

I really liked this book! I think it‘s a book about what happens in between stories, especially since it‘s between an epilogue and a prologue. I thought the characters‘ mental health and the it‘s effects were really well handled.

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GivenLemons
Pickpick

A really interesting look into the most well known women in the contemporary anti feminist movement. McKeon guided me through conversations that I usually would be frustrated to listen to in a way that was very helpful.

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GivenLemons
Deathless | Catherynne M. Valente
Pickpick

I really liked this! It‘s deeply rooted in both Russian folklore and history and coiled them together beautifully

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

This is wonderfully hopeful! I loved how it emphasised human connection and positivity.

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GivenLemons
The Old Lie | Claire G. Coleman
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Mehso-so

Military fiction isn‘t my thing, but I‘d say that this is still an important book. I found the last part of the book the most interesting

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

This is exactly the book I needed right now. Her poems about grief and learning to take care of yourself comforted and inspired me.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I love her books. If you haven‘t tried them, try Amanda Lovelace too 5y
14 likes1 comment
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GivenLemons
Who Fears Death | Nnedi Okorafor
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Pickpick

By no means an easy read, but an important one and I really liked it! I really enjoyed the classic fantasy narrative with the addition of timely and critical themes. I loved the ending!

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GivenLemons
Testaments | Margaret Atwood
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Pickpick

No spoilers, but I really really loved this book! The Handmaid‘s Tale is one of my favourite books and I think Atwood achieved the difficult task of crafting a successor. I devoured it within 24 fours of getting my hands on it!

Caroline2 Wheyyy!! So glad to hear it‘s good! 👏 5y
TheEllieMo I haven‘t even had it in my possession for 24 hours yet! 5y
GivenLemons @TheEllieMo For once, timezones worked with me! 5y
17 likes3 comments
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GivenLemons
Moonlight and Ashes | Sophie Masson
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this! There were about 5 pages that were absolutely wild and thought that it was a really good adaptation of Cinderella

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

I really liked this! I loved the adaptation of a myth and the art really compliments the story!

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GivenLemons
Testaments | Margaret Atwood
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Guess who‘s the proud owner of a new copy of the testaments! Just had to get to the bookshop today!

Leftcoastzen I guess it‘s already Tuesday where you are?8:46 PM Monday where I am ,want it now 😩 5y
18 likes1 comment
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GivenLemons
Silver on the Road | Laura Anne Gilman
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Pickpick

This was a really wonderful book! It was an engrossing mystery and a magical realism/fantasy feel. It was my first foray into westerns and I‘ll definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

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GivenLemons
Gods of Jade and Shadow | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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Pickpick

I absolutely loved this book, read it in two days! A glorious book about mythic journeys and a changing Mexico. It was a beautiful story and I loved the consciousness the characters had of myths and their role.

GivenLemons Don‘t go into the book expecting a YA romance - it‘s not! 5y
9 likes1 comment
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GivenLemons
Highway Bodies | Alison Evans
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Pickpick

I think this is the best zombie book I've ever read. It really conveys the sense of uncertainty and horror of zombies. I also really liked the ending

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GivenLemons
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

This was such a fantastic book. It had me laughing at the judgement of Paris one moment and then horrified about the fate of the Trojan women the next. I would recommend this to everyone!

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GivenLemons
Killing Gravity | Corey J. White
Pickpick

I don't quite know how so much managed to fit in such a small book, but it didn't feel rushed to me! I really liked how often we learnt new information with Mars that changed our perspective.

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GivenLemons
Heartstopper | Alice Oseman
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Pickpick

This is honestly so sweet! It was the perfect study break and had me smiling all the way through!

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GivenLemons
All the Windwracked Stars | Elizabeth Bear
Pickpick

A beautiful mix of Norse mythology and sci-fi apocalypse! It's not the easiest world to get into, Bear really throws you in the deep end, but it's so worth it. I really loved the complicated characters and the embrace of the rebirth part of the Ragnarok myth.

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GivenLemons
The Bird King | G. Willow Wilson
Pickpick

This was a beautiful book! It was set during the emergence of Spain on the Iberian peninsula, which is not something I know a lot about, but G. Willow Wilson formed such a vivid world! I loved how the characters were challenged and grew and learnt more about each other.

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GivenLemons
Ida | Alison Evans
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Pickpick

A fantastic and thought provoking book that is at once introspective and action packed. I loved the ending and how quiet and right it felt after the climax.

I‘ll definitely be picking up other books by Alison Evans.

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

Apparently I‘ve been in the mood for fairytales! This was a lovely collection, especially with the author‘s notes and a recurring theme of Jewish experiences.

8 likes2 stack adds
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

An engaging book that I just devoured! It‘s clear that the author really considered the mechanics of time travel and peppers them in throughout with being overwhelming. It was wonderfully emotional, and made me cry (family things always get to me)!

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

I adored this collection! I loved how Goss made a conscious effort to centre women in a genre that has become the purview of women and girls. I especially liked the adaptations of Hans Christen Anderson stories!

11 likes3 stack adds
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

A fantastic and engaging portrait of a brilliant and influential woman. I was really sad at the end of the book, what more could we have had if we had let a mind like Ada Lovelace‘s flourish?

7 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
Stone Mad | Elizabeth Bear
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Pickpick

This was delightful and the perfect interlude to heavy subject matter and assignments! I actually really liked that it Priya and Karen had significant disagreements and a fight because I liked seeing them do the hard work of being in a relationship.

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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

This wasn‘t the easiest book to read, the first two chapters made me want to cry, but it is a very important book. A well researched and meticulously cited look into the effects of gender inequality on economies coming to the conclusion that true equality is to the benefit of all.

5 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
Pickpick

A wild and zany romp! A really fun book that sometimes made me whisper “what?” quickly. The mystery was fun and unexpected (and suitable for squeamish me) and the characters really grew on me!

Squidapus Oh, we're about to read this after our next one! Squidapus loved his writing style so much 5y
6 likes1 comment
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

This book has all the beautiful prose and magic of the first book, but truly expanded on the world. I loved how Malina and Iris had to grow separately and find who they were without each other and how while the core of the characters stayed true, it's not quite what you thought was happening in Wicked like a Wildfire. The perfect sequel!

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GivenLemons
Wicked Like a Wildfire | Lana Popovic
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Pickpick

I first read this at the end of 2017 and both times it‘s completely pulled me in. The prose is perfect for the subject matter and my heart broke for the characters. I‘m so glad that I got the sequel from the library!

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GivenLemons
The Bedlam Stacks | Natasha Pulley
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Pickpick

A beautiful and immersive book, perfect for escaping a busy week. The world building was masterfully done, making fantastic inventive concepts feel so natural.

8 likes2 stack adds
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GivenLemons
American Panda | Gloria Chao
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Pickpick

This is such a sweet and heartfelt book. I recognised some of my older relatives in it and it made me laugh out loud on the bus!

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GivenLemons
Miranda in Milan | Katharine Duckett
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Pickpick

This is amazing and short enough you can read it in one sitting - I did! It looks at what I think the unavoidable questions one‘s left with after reading the Tempest - is Caliban really so monstrous? How will a girl raised on an island be Princess of Naples? Masterfully done with so much intrigue!

Emilymdxn I want to read this so badly! Will definitely get it 5y
12 likes1 stack add1 comment
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GivenLemons
Gunslinger Girl | Lyndsay Ely
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Pickpick

Action packed and so exciting! It didn‘t go where I expected it to at all and I loved the futuristic West! A fun book that I‘d definitely recommend

LibrarianRyan I think it needs a sequel but it‘s a stand alone. 5y
GivenLemons @LibrarianRyan I actually didn‘t mind it ending where it did, but I‘m a lot more tolerant of open endings than most people 😅 that being said, love a sequel 5y
SW-T I have this on hold! Waiting is hard sometimes 🙄 5y
12 likes1 stack add3 comments
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GivenLemons
The Blue Salt Road | Joanne M Harris
Pickpick

Beautiful and most of all haunting. I found it impossible to put down, even as all the characters made mistakes and hurt each other. I loved the hopeful ending and it truly earned it!

8 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
Want | Cindy Pon
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Pickpick

This was a fantastic book! I loved the characters and the setting and I devoured this. It feels really urgent, but also hopeful.

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GivenLemons
Pickpick

This was really interesting and I‘d love to see what the people involved in each of the groups would have to say, because as someone involved in ballet for years I find that it is really different from perceptions.

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GivenLemons
The Book of Phoenix | Nnedi Okorafor
Pickpick

This is a phenomenal book! I loved how we got to see Pheonix learning more and getting to where she is at the end of the book. This is beautiful and makes perfect sense without having read Who Fears Death.

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GivenLemons
Red, White & Royal Blue | Casey McQuiston
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Pickpick

Hilarious and heartwarming! This had me bursting out laughing and teas in my eyes. I devoured it in a day and loved the characters. However, as Her Majesty is my head of state, I do feel obliged to point out that only the heir to the throne is the Prince of Wales.

9 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

For unknown reasons, I have become deeply fascinated with the idea of beekeeping. So instead of doing something rash, I decided to borrow some books about it. This was a really accessible guide to starting beekeeping and taking care of bees which inspired me!

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GivenLemons
A Blade So Black | L.L. McKinney
Pickpick

One of my favourite takes on Wonderland! I really liked seeing it from the point of view I could relate to and I loved the whimsical geography of Wonderland. I stayed up late to finish this book too

4 likes1 stack add
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GivenLemons
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Pickpick

So I had a lot of fun with this book! It has all the aesthetic elements I love - fancy coats, cross-dressing to commit crimes and women wielding flintlock pistols. But it also had a really engrossing plot and fantastic action scenes!

imyril It‘s so much fun! 5y
BooknerdsLife One of my favourite series!! 🙌🏼❤️🖤 5y
21 likes2 comments
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GivenLemons
Pickpick

I stayed up until 2am on a weeknight to finish this, and have no regrets! It‘s a fantastic book with interesting characters and a plot that kept me hooked!