cornsandwitch

Book Shelf

This is a list of books I've read and how I liked them.

Rating Scale:

5 - One of my all time favorite books. Changed my life.
4 - A great book that I recommend you read as well.
3 - I liked it but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
2 - Forgetable.
1 - Not only is this book bad, but I actively discourage anyone from reading it.

Title	Author	Genre	Subgenre	Year Finished	Rating	Review
The Creative Act	Rick Rubin	Self Help	Creativity	2026	5	This book turned my creative practice from one of obligation, pressure, and discipline into one of personal and sacred ritual. It gave me permission to believe in magic and view my entire life as one big art project.
The Vanishing Half	Brit Bennett	Fiction	Historical	2025	4	A beautiful multigenerational examination of race and family in mid/late 1900s Amercia.
I Who Have Never Known Men	Jacqueline Harpman	Fiction	Dystopia	2025	3	A beautiful multigenerational examination of race and family in mid/late 1900s Amercia.
The Parable of the Talents	Octavia Butler	Fiction	Dystopia	2025	4	A difficult and deeply upsetting read, made worse by just how on-the-nose the author was about present day events from her perspective 30 years ago, right down to "make america great again." If she was right about the decline, may she also be right about the resolution.
The Parable of the Sower	Octavia Butler	Fiction	Dystopia	2025	4	Ngl this was hard to read at this particular moment in United States history. It comes with just about every trigger warning you can imagine, relentlessly and with little reprieve. Don't read this one without also reading the second book, Talents.
Pounded by Produce	G. M. Fairy	Romance	Smut	2025	4	If VeggieTales and Fleabag had a filthy poly fanfiction baby, this would be that baby.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo	Taylor Jenkins Reid	Fiction	Romance	2025	3	Easy read wth fabulous, flawed characters. Kinda predictable.
How We Show Up	Mia Birdsong	Nonfiction	Social Justice	2024	4	Coping with the 2024 election results by educating myself on how I can create tangible, positive change in my world. Community is so important for our wellbeing and survival. This book opened my eyes to what that can look like today.
On Our Best Behavior	Elise Loehnen	Nonfiction	Feminism	2024	3	Stoking the flames of my misandrist rage with this one. The author examines how the 7 deadly sins are used to oppress women (and everyone) and what liberation from these mental prisons can look like. This read felt very validating and made me tired.
The Summer Book	Tove Jansson	Fiction		2024	4	Slow paced (but in a lovely, meditative way) read about a grandmother and grandaughter where we watch the wisdom of age and youth interact on the backdrop of a quiet Finnish island one summer.
Shark Heart	Emily Habeck	Fiction	Fantasy	2024	5	This book is about a wife whose husband slowly turns into a great white shark. And it was, dare I say, the best book I read this year? The author writes so beautifully and earnestly about grief, loss of control, and finding new meaning in the midst of a life altering diagnosis. I sobbed several times. The raw emotion that comes through this absurd scenario really speaks to the authors skill I think. Like how am I crying over a wife caressing her husband's dorsal fins right now?
Throne of Glass	Sarah J. Maas	Fantasy	Romantasy	2024	3	The main character's ego pissed me off so many times, but this was otherwise a fun fantasy read with a strong female lead finding her inner strength as she navigates a world of magic and politics.
The Power of Now	Eckhart Tolle	Self Help	Spirituality	2024	5	I've read this twice now and truly believe in the power of being present and practicing mindfulness. It's gotten me through a lot of grief and loss over the years and this book articulated ideas that I've intuitively felt for a long time. Remembering who and why I am.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success	Deepak Chopra	Self Help	Spirituality	2024	3	I actually liked this book (particularly the chapter on Dharma) and would give it a 4 but then it came out that the author had some gross emails in the Epstein files so I can't fw him or recommend him now. But it did inspired the start of my meditation practice.
The Four Agreements	Miguel Ruiz	Self Help	Spirituality	2024	3	The author had a lot of great ideas, but there were also a handful of moments that had me thinking "this was definitely written from a male's perspective 🙄".
Ask and It is Given	Esther & Jerry Hicks	Self Help	Spirituality	2024	3	Look this book is very woowoo, and I can't get behind all of the ideas it suggests. But I've had a lot of success with manifestation and wanted to learn more about the spiritual angle of it all. To me, this is whimsical psychology and life is more fun when I let myself believe in magic for the fun of it.
Mrs Rosie and the Priest	Giovanni Boccaccio	Classics	Short Stories	2024	3	"Mrs. Rosie and the Priest" is one of 3 short stories in this short collection of 14th century literature. I was surprised by how raunchy and funny they were, and that I was still able to follow the stories despite them being from so long ago. Its super cool to find moments of connection with people who walked this earth when it was a different world.
Down the Drain	Julia Fox	Memoir	Feminism, Pop Culture	2024	4	Read this if you want to know what it means to be, as CharliXCX so poignantly put it, "so Julia." This book was a heartbreaking, messy, wild trip with enough lore to fill 10 memoirs. Julia has truly been through it, but an icon rose from the ashes.
Women Don't Owe You Pretty	Florence Given	Nonfiction	Feminism	2023	3	Loved the illustrations. I would reccommend this to teens for an engaging and easy-to-digest introduction to feminism.
A Court of Frost and Starlight	Sarah J. Maas	Fantasy	Romantasy	2023	3	The short cozy christmas special of the series. It was a nice bow on the end of some characters' stories. Despite being the shortest book in the series, it took me 9 months to finish, so I dont think I care enough to continue reading the rest of the books.
A Court of Wings and Ruin	Sarah J. Maas	Fantasy	Romantasy	2023	3	The climactic battle book of the series. I think they should've let some characters at the end that didn't.
A Court of Mist and Fury	Sarah J. Maas	Fantasy	Romantasy	2023	4	The best book in this series. Main character earned my love once she wasn't surrounded by all the miserable, toxic characters in the first book.
A Court of Thorns and Roses	Sarah J. Maas	Fantasy	Romantasy	2022	2	A Beauty and the Beast retelling, except the main charcater's family is miserable and undeserving of her care, and the main love interest is insufferable and toxic as hell. The last quarter of this book did just enough work to redeem a mediocre first 3 quarters that I felt compelled to continue reading the next book, which was dramatically better than this one.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow	Gabrielle Zevin	Fiction	Contemporary	2022	4	A group of friends making video games together, but it spans decades of hurdles, peaks, and valleys. Just a good story about friendship and collaboration.
Comet in Moominland	Tove Jansen	Childrens	Middle School	2022	3	Big fan of the author's other art works. Such an endearing and friendly little tale about anthropomorphized creatures navigating the looming arrival of a comet. Its a children's chapter book but I think adults will find it witty and fun as well. I wish grown up books had illustrations on every other page like this.
Verity	Colleen Hoover	Fiction	Thriller	2022	1	Sorry I didn't like this one. Not a fan of the way Colleen Hoover romanticizes domestic abuse.
When Things Fall Apart	Pema Chodron	Self Help	Buddhism	2022	4	This book helped get me through the early weeks of my divorce and rly put me on to Buddhist teachings.
Flowers For Algernon	Daniel Keyes	Classics	Science Fiction	2022	4	I read this in high school and then I read it again in my late 20s. The author takes us along the arch of experiencing the spectrum of mental health and acuity and how that shapes how we see the world and how the world see us. Very frustrating and sad.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue	V. E. Schwab	Fantasy	Historical, Romance	2021	4	As a big lover of life, I'm facinated by the concept of immortality. We watch the main character navigate the twists and turns of a cursed immortal life, making meaning for herself when she is both a permanent fixture in the world and impermanent in the minds of everyone she encounters.
Sapiens	Yuval Noah Harari	Nonfiction	History, Anthropology		5	Growing up in a religious household that rejects the idea of the earth being any older than the bible suggests, I hadn't really been allowed to consider the vastness of human history before reading this book. It was really exciting and mind blowing to delve into our species' ancient history. Before this book, I really thought I just fell out of a coconut tree. But we really do exists in the context of all in which we live and what came before us.
The Vegetarian	Han Kang	Fiction	Asian Literature	2021	3	Only finished 1 of 3 parts, but Part 1 was really good. This was unsettling and upsetting, but also unlike any story I've read before. Only DNFed because my ex cheated on me when I was halfway through reading it and got distracted with going through a divorce and I just never got back to finishing it.
Dawn	Octavia Butler	Science Fiction	Dystopia	2021	4	The earth has been ruined by humanity and an extraterrestrial species comes to remove us, clean up our mess, and reintegrate us after some alien rehabilitation. This book asks what it means to be human when we're no longer the species in control. I haven't read the next book in the series yet but so far I'm team aliens.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor	Hank Green	Science Fiction	Comtemporary	2020	4	Second book in the series, this one made me very fearful and distrusting of the direction technology is heading. Its actually crazy how much it felt like science fiction when I read it in 2020, but now just a few years later I'm seeing its events unfolding irl.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing	Hank Green	Science Fiction	Contemporary	2020	4	A girl happens to be the first person to notice and document an unexplainable extraterrestrial presence, catapulting her into the public eye as the image of the Moment everything changed for the world. This was a great contemporary sci fiction, easy to read, and an interesting look at the complexity of how fame changes us.
A Secret History of Witches	Louisa Morgan	Fantasy	Historical	2020	4	I love a woman-centered story that spans several generations. I loved being immersed in the simple lives of women from centuries past, made unsimple by their witchy lineage.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire	Jennifer L. Armentrout	Fantasy	Romantasy	2020	3	Tbh I don't remember much about what happened in this second book of this series. Lost interest in the series before the 3rd book came out.
From Blood and Ash	Jennifer L. Armentrout	Fantasy	Romantasy	2019	4	Lowkey one of my fave romantasy reads. It was def v hot and captivating and made me cry
Turtles All the Way Down	John Green	Young Adult	Contemporary	2018	3	A very John Greeny read...obviously. Interesting to read a first person account of someone living with OCD.
Big Little Lies	Liane Moriarty	Fiction	Mystery, Thriller	2018	3	Felt a lot like the two books I read right before this one. I think the show was just as good as the book tbh.
The Husband's Secret	Liane Moriarty	Fiction	Mystery, Thriller	2017	2	Genuinely don't remember anything about this book except that the husband's secret was that he was a violent abuser, shocker.
We Should All Be Feminists	Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	Nonfiction	Feminism	2017	4	This is a quick speech put into book form. The fact that there are people out there who aren't feminists is so incomprehensible to me. But they're really out there. They should be the ones reading this. But I assume they must all be illiterate. Very sad for them.
It Ends with Us	Colleen Hoover	Fiction	Contemporary	2017	2	This book was was corny and problematic, but it also made me recognize that my own (ex) husband's behavior was abusive, so it gets one extra point for that
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot	Stephen Adly Guirgis	Play	Play	2016	3
Bone	Fae Myenne Ng	Fiction	Asian Literature	2015	3
Like Water for Chocolate	Laura Esquivel	Fiction	Historical, Spanish Literature	2015	3
#Girlboss	Sophia Amoruso	Memoir	Feminism	2016	2
Furiously Happy	Jenny Lawson	Memoir	Comedy	2015	3
The Girl on the Train	Paula Hawkins	Fiction	Mytery, Thriller	2015	3
Me Before You	Jojo Moyes	Romance	Contemporary	2015	3
Passion Play	Sarah Ruhl	Play	Play	2015	3
Yes Please	Amy Poehler	Memoir	Comedy	2015	3
Lunch in Paris	Elizabeth Bard	Memoir	Romance, Travel, Food	2014	2	Yummy descriptions of food but it wasn't interesting enough to finish reading for me. It includes French recipes, and I tried baking the Chouquettes when my parents were'nt home but they didn't turn out good and for some I thought I would get in trouble so I hid them in a tupperware in my closet and forgot about them until I found them months later covered in so much mold that I continue to have a mold phobia to this day
Bookends	Jane Green	Fiction	Contemporary	2014	3
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban	J. K. Rowling	Young Adult	Fantasy	2014	4
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	J. K. Rowling	Young Adult	Fantasy	2014	4
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	J. K. Rowling	Young Adult	Fantasy	2014	4
Cold Tangerines	Shauna Niequist	Nonfiction	Christian	2014	2
The Book Club	Mary Alice Monroe	Fiction	Contemporary	2014	2
Secrets of the Vine	Bruce H. Wilkinson	Nonfiction	Christian	2013	2
Si-cology	Si Robertson	Memoir	Christian	2013	2
The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	Fiction	Philosophy	2013	4
The Bible	God?	Fiction	Christian	2013	3	Some nice nuggets of truth spinkled amongst a lotta plot holes and people act like this book gives them permission to hate and harm anyone who doesn't behave and believe the same as themselves, which is pretty dangerous and loser activity. Ultimately DNFed for this reason.
Allegiant	Veronica Roth	Young Adult	Dystopia	2013	3
The Timekeeper	Mitch Albom	Fiction	Fantasy	2013	5	Read this during my Doctor who era when I was very interested in the concept of time travel. This book blew my high schooler mind and changed the way I think about my time and how I use it to move through life
Hamlet	William Shakespeare	Classics	Play	2013	3
The Hunger Pains	The Harvard Lampoon	Young Adult	Comedy	2013	2
Requiem	Lauren Oliver	Young Adult	Romantasy	2013	3
Pandemonium	Lauren Oliver	Young Adult	Romantasy	2012	3
Macbeth	William Shakespeare	Classics	Play	2012	3
On The Road	Jack Kerouac	Classics	Travel	2012	2	I had to read this for my high school senior english final. I love the grubby beatnik hitchhiker vibes, but ultimately the task of having to write a research paper on it turned this book into too much of a chore, so I just read the second half on Cliffnotes.
The Catcher in the Rye	J. D. Salinger	Classics	Coming of Age	2012	3	Overall bummer read, unlikable main, and I remember being so irritated at how frequently he used the word "phony"
Hinds' Feet on High Places	Hannah Hurnard	Fiction	Christian	2012	3	An old man that I had never spoken to lent me this book out of nowhere one day
Looking for Alaska	John Green	Young Adult	Contemporary	2012	3
Delirium	Lauren Oliver	Young Adult	Romantasy	2012	3
The Fault in Our Stars	John Green	Young Adult	Contemporary	2012	4
Insurgent	Veronica Roth	Young Adult	Dystopia	2012	3
Seriously...I'm Kidding	Ellen DeGeneres	Memoir	Comedy	2012	2	I used to watch Ellen after school everyday. I don't remember anything about this book except that I lost interest halfway through and DNFed it.
Lola and the Boy Next Door	Stephanie Perkins	Young Adult	Romance	2012	2	This one was forgettable for me. Its an easy, teen romance. Didn't stick with me as much as its predecessor
The Handmaid's Tale	Margeret Atwood	Classics	Dystopia	2012	4
1984	George Orwell	Classics	Dystopia	2012	4
The Art of Racing in the Rain	Garth Stein	Fiction	Dogs	2011	5	One of my all time faves
Divergent	Veronica Roth	Young Adult	Dystopia	2011	4
Night	Elie Wiesel	Memoir	History, Holocaust	2011	4	An important and upsetting piece of history
Anna and the French Kiss	Stephanie Perkins	Young Adult	Romance	2011	3	A cute teen romance
The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald	Classics	Historical	2011	2	Look I'm sure its a great book but I had to read it for school and could not be compelled to finish it
Lord of the Flies	William Golding	Classics	Dystopia	2011	3
Things Fall Apart	Chinua Achebe	Classics	Africa	2011	3
The Lucky One	Nicholas Sparks	Romance	Contemporary	2011	3
The Postcard Killers	James Patterson, Liza Marklund	Fiction	Mystery, Thriller	2010	2
Mockingjay	Suzanne Collins	Young Adult	Dystopia	2010	4
Romeo and Juliet	William Shakespeare	Classics	Play	2010	3
The Scarlet Letter	Nathaniel Hawthorne	Classics	Historical	2010	3
A Streetcar Named Desire	Tennessee Williams	Play	Play	2009	3
Catching Fire	Suzanne Collins	Young Adult	Dystopia	2009	4
The Hunger Games	Suzanne Collins	Young Adult	Dystopia	2009	5
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	Classics	Historical	2009	5
Tuesdays with Morrie	Mitch Albom	Memoir	Philosophy	2009	4
Deathwatch	Robb White	Young Adult	Thriller	2009	3
The Things They Carried	Tim O'Brien	Fiction	Historical	2009	4
The Rescue	Nicholas Sparks	Romance	Contemporary	2008	3
Eclipse	Stephanie Meyers	Young Adult	Romantasy	2008	4	Never read the last one in the series because my religious parents thought it was evil
New Moon	Stephanie Meyers	Young Adult	Romantasy	2008	4
Twilight	Stephanie Meyers	Young Adult	Romantasy	2008	5	Look, this book is a cultural icon. I come back to this series every few years
What Wendell Wants	Jenny Lee	Memoir	Dogs	2008	3	Read this trying to feel that "Marley and Me" high again.
Mornings with Barney	Dick Wolfsie	Memoir	Dogs	2008	3
Diary of a Wimpy Kid	Jeff Kinney	Childrens	Middle School	2008	4
Marley and Me	John Grogan	Memoir	Dogs	2007	4	I laughed, I cried. I read this 20 years ago and still remember a lot of the details. I remember seeing the movie in theaters with my mom, my grandma, and my sister and then us all getting Cheesecake Factory for the first time afterwards.
Hoops	Walter Dean Myers	Young Adult	Sports	2007	3
Touching Spirit Bear	Ben Mikaelsen	Young Adult	Middle School	2007	4
Beach Blondes	Katherine Applegate	Young Adult	Romance	2007	4
Kitty Kitty	Michele Jaffe	Young Adult	Mystery	2007	3
Bad Kitty	Michele Jaffe	Young Adult	Mystery	2007	3
Specials	Scott Westerfeld	Young Adult	Dystopia	2007	2
Pretties	Scott Westerfeld	Young Adult	Dystopia	2007	3
Uglies	Scott Westerfeld	Young Adult	Dystopia	2006	4
The Westing Game	Ellen Raskin	Young Adult	Mystery	2006	4
CON-Fidence	Todd Strasser	Young Adult	Middle School	2006	2
Around the World in Eighty Days	Jules Verne	Classics	Travel	2005	3
Pollyanna	Eleanor H. Porter	Classics	Middle School	2003	4
The Giving Tree	Shel Silverstein	Childrens	Poetry	2002	5
Barbie: A Sea of Friends	Rita Balducci	Childrens	Picture Book	2001	4
Guess How Much I love You	Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram (Illustrator)	Childrens	Picture Book	2000	5	A childhood fave

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