Book Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

February 5, 2025January 16, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Non-fiction Essays
Length: 293 pages
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: May 18th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet – from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley’s Comet to Penguins of Madagascar – on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene’s reviews have been praised as ‘observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy’, with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.

THIS WAS REAL GOOD.

Y’all know I’m not a non-fiction gal, but once in a blue moon I can be convinced that I should read one and this has had some rave reviews from friends. I think it absolutely lived up to the hype.

My brain loved how this book functioned. Short chapters + history + rating? Loved. It flowed fast and succinct and I had a blast listening to such a wide variety of topics. I loved that John Green narrated this himself because it brought an even higher level of personal connection that made this book resonate.

Easily a non-fiction book I’d recommend to all!

Overall audience notes:

Non-fiction
Language: low

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2025

February 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

We made it through 3438753 days of January. Here’s what I read!

[Reread] A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] Beyond the Crescent Sky (The Balkan Legends #2) by A.L. Sowards
[ALC] The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Our Deadly Designs (This Dark Descent #2) by Kalyn Josephson
[ARC/ALC] Gate to Kagoshima (Ancestor Memories #1) by Poppy Kuroki
[ARC] Of Flames and Fallacies (The Arterian Series #1) by Courtney Whims
Let You Love Me (Boys of Riverside #5) by Gracie Graham
Morbidly Yours (Love in Galway #1) by Ivy Fairbanks
Familiar Stranger by Caitlin Moss
[ARC/ALC] The Rival by Emma Lord
All to Pieces (The Seddledowne #3) by Susan Henshaw
[ARC/ALC] The Beasts We Bury (The Broken Citadel #1) by D.L. Taylor
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
Where the Black Line Ends by Meagan Williamson
[ARC] A Heart Devoted (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #5) by Nichole Van
[Reread] Iron Flame (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
[ARC/ALC] Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli
Seeing Miss Heartstone by Nichole Van
Know Your Newlywed by Elena Armas
Metal Slinger (Fire & Metal #1) by Rachel Schneider
The Heart of the Rebellion by Sian Ann Bessey
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
A Tribute of Fire (The Eye of the Goddess #1) by Sariah Wilson
When Alec Met Evie (The Appies #6) by Jenny Proctor
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros
Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4) by Aspen Hadley
The Legend of Meneka (The Divine Dancers Duology #1) by Kritika H. Rao
Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
[ARC] Guarding the Mountain Man’s Secret (Brothers of Sapphire Ranch #7) by Misty M. Beller
[Short Story] The Situationship by Abby Jimenez
[ARC] Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Unromance by Erin Connor
A Forbidden Fate (A Forbidden Fate #1) by Kaven Hirning
[Novella] Spirit of the Wood (Green Rider #7.5) by Kristen Britain
Smoke and Mirrors (Silver and Bone #2) by Claudia Cain
[Reread] The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Check Down (Lacey Bros #1) by Brandy Pelletier

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Know Your Newlywed by Elena Armas

January 30, 2025January 18, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 4 hours, 54 minutes
Author: Elena Armas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) and Mary Mouser (Cobra Kai) star in this swoon-worthy, full-cast rom-com! When two super-fans of a beloved dating gameshow hear that it’s being rebooted, they decide to team up and fake a marriage to compete in the hilarious new audiobook Know Your Newlywed, written by Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum, and executive produced by New York Times bestselling author Elena Armas.

Cleo is a researcher with big dreams of a PhD in anthrozoology, and a guilty pleasure obsession with Know Your Newlywed, a decades-old gameshow where married couples compete by answering obscure questions about each other. She’s more invested in her career than in finding a relationship of her own, though—that is, until she comes across Javi’s dating app profile, which says he’s “looking for someone to win Know Your Newlywed with.”

Sparks fly, and when Cleo and Javi catch wind of a reboot of their beloved show, they apply on a whim, pretending to be newlyweds themselves. Before they know it, they’re cast as contestants, playing the part of smitten married couple better than they could’ve imagined. Their very real chemistry is impossible to ignore, and as the competition heats up, they quickly become America’s sweethearts. But how far can Cleo and Javi take their secret? And as they inch closer and closer to a life-changing cash prize, will the mounting pressure and their individual ambitions get in the way of their blossoming romance? Or is their connection strong enough to last once the cameras stop rolling?

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SHORT & QUIRKY.

There’s nothing SPECIAL about this book but if you’re looking for a good novella to spend an afternoon with, I’d recommend it. I was a big fan of the newlywed game once upon a time and I thought the play on that show was showcased well here. There’s quirky contestants and a little bit of drama and it’s a fun listen with the full cast.

I liked the romance between Cleo and Javi. It’s unconventional and works well. The sparks flew and they were just so sweet on each other. As I am prone to do, the third act bugged me a bit, but it’s fine. I liked how the novella wrapped up and the audio production was fantastic.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance Novella
Language: mild
Romance: one closed door

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Gate to Kagoshima (Ancestor Memories #1) by Poppy Kuroki

January 28, 2025January 5, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance (Time Travel)
Length: 320 pages
Author: Poppy Kuroki
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.

While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.

But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?

Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC and LibroFM for the audiobook.

I’LL READ BOOK TWO.

And sometimes that’s the best review I have. I also think the audiobook did a great job of upping my thoughts on this book. I was able to breeze through it quickly and the narrator did an amazing job.

This is definitely in the Outlander vibe but less wide scale. I was surprised at how short this book was and how much history it was trying to cover at the same time. I loved the historical aspects though and learning more about samurai’s and the culture of the time period.

The romance took a bit for me to get behind and I think it could have used a few more romantic notions buuut the ending scenes were super good. They very much increased my desire to read book two and see how this will continue to progress.

Overall audience notes: