Mini Thoughts

Hello, all!

Big thanks to Netgalley for these copies!

Pub Date: 11-15-20
Non-Fiction

Emo: How Fans Defined a Subculture- Judith May Fathallah: This should've been called Sugar, We're Goin' Down Snoozin'. I went into this thinking it was going to be a fun look back at the music scene I grew up in, but that wasn't necessarily the case. Fathallah really dives deep into the cultural impact emo music had on society, and isn't afraid to shy away from tough subjects such as gender stereotypes, and even the violence, that plagued this genre. While she touches upon different bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Dashboard Confessional, she sticks with the "emo holy trinity" of My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco to really drive her message home. Along with the musical holy trinity, she touches upon how the social media holy trinity of Livejournal, Myspace, and Tumblr also played a huge role in the success of emo music, especially in the early 2000s. This is a very research-heavy book, so I think it would be an interesting read for someone who is more into the academic side of music. While I did appreciate the nostalgia factor, it read a little too much like a thesis paper for me to fully enjoy.

Rating: 2.5/5

Pub Date: 11-10-20
Science Fiction - Fantasy

From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back- Various Authors: This is such a fun anthology to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back! This is essentially forty different stories retelling the events of the movie, told by different authors, and all from the point of view of a wide array of characters-- from those we know such as Wedge and Dak to those we may not have even given a second thought to such as the wampa and tauntaun. The latter stories are what interested me the most. I thought it was so cool to read from the point of view of some of the creatures, and I didn't think I'd be so moved from the inner thoughts of a tauntaun! You get a nice mix of POVs from both the Rebellion and the Empire, so you can get a feel for how it is on both sides. As with most anthology collections, there were some stories I favored over others, but even the ones I didn't love as much were still fun. This is definitely one to pick up if you're a Star Wars fan.

Rating: 3/5

Pub Date: 11-3-20
Poetry

September Love- Lang Leav: Yet again, Leav takes her readers on an emotional roller coaster. The poems in this collection range from hopeful to hopeless, from being in love to being alone. Whatever emotion you may be feeling, there's a poem for you to embrace. I flew through this in one sitting because I just didn't want to put it down. There were so many quotes that I felt a connection to and so many lines that I had highlighted. A few of my favorites were "Taking Time", "The End of Love", "Night and Day", "Ten Things" and "Show of Love." If you're a fan of poetry, I'd recommend checking this collection out.

Rating: 3.5/5