What a f/cking grifter! Bro. Listen. He needed this check. I would need this check too if I had 6 kids, bro. I get it. But any man who'd talk bad abouWhat a f/cking grifter! Bro. Listen. He needed this check. I would need this check too if I had 6 kids, bro. I get it. But any man who'd talk bad about their baby moms like this, is a sick dude and deeply problematic individual.
Why the 5 stars, then? Because it was salacious of course. That's it. I think anyone who's reading this is reading it for the salaciousness, and there's plenty of that in here. It's like anyone reading this is reading it like they'd read a tabloid as well.
Kevin Federline abandoned his first pregnant baby moms for Britney because he wanted a come up, and he got it, could he keep it? Nope. Not a chance in hell. Did he try to? Absolutely. Was/Is Britney off the deep end? Absolutely? Did society and her father, and these vultures, and Kevin Federline do it to her? Yeah, more than likely.
This book has so much obvious collusion, distortion, lies, and I don't even know these people and I'm not one of these parasocial weirdos, but like the math ain't mathing. One breath he said his mom and dad were drug dealers and that he was a drug dealer, then he's saying that he wants to check Britney for drugs, meanwhile he was internationally smuggling drugs on P!nk's tour. That's wild. He was living dangerously. His kids, by his own words, they suffered. He could only deal with raising 2 kids at a time, and then when he got new kids and a new woman, he tried to shuffle off them "old kids" to their moms.
Kevin is foul for this book, like horrible. Awful. Was it what I expected? Yes. Was it entertaining? Yes. Do I almost hate myself for reading it? ... No comment....more
Yo I love books about books and reading. As a person who reads daily, a lot of what was written in here wasn't new to me, but it was true to me. I felYo I love books about books and reading. As a person who reads daily, a lot of what was written in here wasn't new to me, but it was true to me. I felt seen. It was a good read. I'd buy this for a friend. It also exploded my TBR a little bit, so I'm here for it....more
Covid-19 has illuminated so many realities about humanity, delusion, and what we know to be true about the world that we'll be pondering over for yearCovid-19 has illuminated so many realities about humanity, delusion, and what we know to be true about the world that we'll be pondering over for years to come. Mark Kingwell provides a lot to chew on regarding the risks we take daily, the philosophical issues of life, death, human interaction and living dangerously. I found the parts on the game of risk, and the segments on people taking risks with their own lives regarding not masking, fascinating.
This short book was thoughtfully put together and even though I look at all white male philosophy professors askance nowadays, yes because of that guy, I think Mark Kingwell gave us some work that was easy to follow and insightful. I think he's a particularly astute observer of our times....more
I stumbled upon this book cruising the GR streets. I enjoyed the story, it was strange. Nothing to write home about, but I did like the use of clear aI stumbled upon this book cruising the GR streets. I enjoyed the story, it was strange. Nothing to write home about, but I did like the use of clear as day flashbacks vs the confusing present as a plot device.
The main character, Al, was a likeable, sad, reflective and VERY human character. An older man who was living one hell of a life, and dealing with everything through the bottom of a bottle and his trusty guitar, the story telling was there! There were ghosts that won't quit, his life really felt like a ghost story, it was interesting. I saw some people that I know, musicians, in this character. How much they struggle for their art.
Do you need to read it? Completely up to you. However, as far as storytelling goes, it was enjoyable....more
This book reads the way this sounds. It was incredible. If you like Wu-Tang, or Kung Fu films you’ll love this book. Reading this felt like everythingThis book reads the way this sounds. It was incredible. If you like Wu-Tang, or Kung Fu films you’ll love this book. Reading this felt like everything was everywhere.
Here are some quotes that shook me:
“A new era, this my own, and it announces me right away. Am I brave enough? For now I am: because I come from the suffering afar, I come from the hell of love but now I am free of you. I come from afar—from a weighty ancestry. I who come from the pain of living. And I no longer want it. I want the vibration of happiness. I want the impartiality of Mozart. But I also want inconsistency. Freedom? it’s my final refuge, I forced myself to freedom and I bear it not like a talent but with heroism: I’m heroically free. And I want the flow.”-19% in Agua Viva
“Who will come to gather the fruit of my life? If not you and I myself? Why is it that things an instant before they happen already seem to have happened? It’s because of the simultaneity of time. ”- 42% in Agua Viva
“I love the ugly with the love of equals. And I defy death. I—I am my own death. And no one goes further. The barbarian within me seeks the cruel barbarian outside me.” - 42% in Agua Viva
“I know that after you read me it’s hard to reproduce my song by ear, it’s not possible to sing it without having learned it by heart. And how can you learn something by heart if it has no story?” - 84% in Agua Viva
All I can say is: Lost among the miracles, she stands alone. Don’t sue me Vinnie Paz. More thoughts here....more
Fascinating, and really important. It’s so interesting how much it takes of a person to tell the truth after you’ve spent so long living a life you’veFascinating, and really important. It’s so interesting how much it takes of a person to tell the truth after you’ve spent so long living a life you’ve tried to convince yourself was a particular way that it wasn’t. This memoir is incredibly unique at grappling with it’s subject matter.
It’s not lost on me that sometimes women, along with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse of all stripes, survivors of grooming, etc sometimes have to wait until the dissenting voices are dead to get enough clarity to hear themselves think. That’s fucking wild to me, and will never not be crazy to me, because of how accurate it is. Today, I watched a grown man cry about how he thought he was being sacrificed when he was 18 years old and was in love with a girl who was 26 years old, while he was trying to make it in the art world. I watched that today: May 26, 2025. His girlfriend, was testifying in the Diddy trial today, and in my head I was thinking: that grown man, will never be the same because of how that woman groomed him into a relationship as a teen, and then introduced him to a lifestyle that he was not used to and tried to pretend like he was okay with, but now he’ll have to carry forever, and can now only talk about with any safety now (in his perspective) now that one of his two abusers is sitting in jail and can’t dissent, or make him “disappear” as he thought they were trying to do. It’s not just women who experience these nightmare situations, where you try to contort your thoughts, and convince yourself that something is okay that is absolutely-not-fucking-okay, and that to a degree even in your young age knew wasn’t okay back then. Taylor Swift has written song after song about the perils of age gap relationships, Demi, Beyoncé, all your pop-girl faves. It’s wild thinking that that 30+ years you spent with a man who absolutely stole parts of your life was built on a situation that you’ve spent the entire time making palatable for yourself and any audience outside yourself.
That’s actually the thought that went through my head repeatedly while reading this book. The fact that things appeared one way in her mind, in her viewpoint, that she rearranged the truth to appear a certain way… until there was space, until space was cleared for you to really see things for what they were. How that living potential for dissent probably would have never made this book come to life.
Quietly, I’m glad that I have never read her previous memoirs, now that I’ve read this one. Sometimes the place at where you find something is the exact place at which you’re meant to find it and I’m glad that I didn’t know much about Jill Ciment before experiencing this book. Not that I would have ever been impressed with a 47 year old anyone dating a 17 year old anyone. It doesn’t compute, not to me, and it never will, tho we have all seen how it could happen on public and private levels. However, I’m glad that I didn’t ever experience the text-based reality of her trying to sell the shapes she shifted in the earlier work. I feel like I’m grateful for not getting got wherever the higher powers seek to make that a reality for me. The book was highly illuminating though....more
Yo, I think I’m infatuated with Kim Gordon’s writing. I enjoy her perspective, especially the tour diary, which was endlessly illuminating. I love herYo, I think I’m infatuated with Kim Gordon’s writing. I enjoy her perspective, especially the tour diary, which was endlessly illuminating. I love her conversations with others and have a lot of thoughts about her fascination and leaning into this public down-trodding of Madonna. I find it fascinating what a lot of folks have to say about 80’s Madonna. Especially women in music, when they lean towards people talking shit about her or undercutting her influence. Yes, sometimes she was a culture vulture, but she was also on the cutting edge, and that should never be underestated in my opinion.
Gordon has some really distinct thoughts about NYC, the music, the scenes, the art, she taught me some things I didn’t know about Andy Warhol and his contributions to the NYC club experience that has translated internationally. Anyway, I picked this book up at P&T Knitwear in the lower east side while out book shopping with friends and I’m glad that I did. I read it completely out of order, and I’m glad that I did. I love the photos, I love the art. It’s good. I would have gave it five stars, but there were things that I had issues with that I’m still working through mentally, and that’s that....more
Madcave! The art and the mystery on this one is hitting. A mysterious black hole, and a sister that fell out of it with a prophecy about the end of alMadcave! The art and the mystery on this one is hitting. A mysterious black hole, and a sister that fell out of it with a prophecy about the end of all things to come if she don’t go back to where she’s from? Here for it. I also love the art is so good.
That weird romantic breakdown energy between two of the characters is strange. It’s a strange plot point, but I can work with it for now. It speaks to the part of me that doesn’t like romance in things unless the romance is unusual, and two characters on the brink of divorce that are forced to work together for the betterment of humanity possibly could be interesting. I’m gonna read the rest of them....more
Definitely out there, but there's so much critique packed in such a small book, and I love that.
This is my first Renata Adler and it won't be my lastDefinitely out there, but there's so much critique packed in such a small book, and I love that.
This is my first Renata Adler and it won't be my last. I really enjoyed the writing style. Now, I wanna read Speedboat. Rachel Cusk kinda reminds me of this, and now I can't help but wonder about her influences.
The commentary on this woman constantly being duped-feeling duped, even though she's a journalist, and it's her prerogative to find out the truth and get to the bottom of things was intriguing to me. It's like everyone can get got for real - whether it be by a lover, or someone you meet on a random trip to a random place in a random country, who's imploring you to trust them, and you want to because they seem harmless, but your spirit can't settle. I found that a really intriguing struggle, definitely in a been there-done that sort of way. I got duped by a shelf-talker on my last book I PASS LIKE THE NIGHT that I got on a trip, it was imploring me to trust it, and it was mad off kilter and not right on the money. It's strange how things can make you doubt your judgment and slide back and forth over question after question about what you actually know vs what you think you know, vs what you are seeing and what you can't yet piece together, etc.
Pitch Dark isn't an easy categorization, and that's one of its best qualities. Not a lot of folks can do that right without slipping into incoherency and the whole shit falling apart. Renata Adler was giving memoir, it was giving stream of consciousness, it was 100% giving autofiction. The main character was a mess. I love heavy introspective reads and this kinda fed me. I bought my copy while on a trip, based off a Shelf-talker at Book Culture on Broadway, and I can honestly state that it hit. The shelf-talker, and the store, did not lie to me. Pitch Dark was mad weird in the best way....more
Incredible. I really loved the art—it’s beautiful and simultaneously both minimalistic and maximalist. The blue and its layers the emotion matching thIncredible. I really loved the art—it’s beautiful and simultaneously both minimalistic and maximalist. The blue and its layers the emotion matching the colour schemes! Deb is a fantastic artist!
I loved her story even more than the art—my heart moved with every page. The people in her story possessed a depth and distance that made them also relatable. It was infinitely relatable. Deb in college also reminded me of myself- young, trying to figure out things in that first year of uni.
Her memoir was an exploration of themes that are both timeless and relevant, touching on elements of love, loss, growing up, change, finding yourself, and the human spirit. Her mom was a trip, and yo also relatable at that age.
The way the author wove these themes from her life into this story was nothing short of masterful. This is a graphic novel that I’ll be recommending to others for a long time. Especially any teen in my orbit. It’s really good....more
Norma Dunning is a talented writer who brings you exactly where she wants you to be and points you at exactly what shPowerful, poignant and luminous.
Norma Dunning is a talented writer who brings you exactly where she wants you to be and points you at exactly what she wants you to see, no matter how challenging it is to discuss and bear witness.
These short stories were heavy. Chronicling many historical issues faced by Indigenous folks, Dunning spares no one in her examination of the circumstances created around their community and the Indigenous experience in Canada specifically.
I randomly picked up this book from the Toronto Public Library’s available audio section on Libby, and it was a harrowing, touchingly clear-eyed listen.
The title story, Tianna, was the one that was the hardest. A contemplation on motherhood, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the way their disappearances are treated by the authorities, and the impact on the community at large — Tianna, is a reflection on the humanity and spirit people trade to survive in situations that were bleak from before they came to be.
The stories Amak and Kunak were strong and These Old Bones was another striking story.
The fight between reality and fiction was palpable in this book, and the narration was well done!...more
Sinéad O'Connor was the realest G. Quite possibly, the last true G. God rest her soul.
All of these interviews were poignant, direct, and she never miSinéad O'Connor was the realest G. Quite possibly, the last true G. God rest her soul.
All of these interviews were poignant, direct, and she never minced any words about her feelings about things. She could see where she was privileged and also had a very clear perspective of where she was disadvantaged. Every stance she took she took it with her whole chest! I appreciate that. I think the world appreciates that about her. There are very few people like her to be honest.
Some of her revelations, as she stood out on the ledge (alone a lot of the time), really exposed a lot of our favourite artists for who they really were, including her. A lot of the times it wasn't so pretty. I appreciate that level of honesty as well.
This book is infinitely quotable and highlightable - Sinéad O'Connor being incredibly wise and outspoken about her life's circumstances and the various realities of the world. There are so many levels to her thinking. I love that the interviews selected zoom in and out about motherhood, Rastafarianism, Islam, Christianity, Ireland, travelling, hip-hop, Black culture, who she is vs who folks have wanted her to be, the music industry, the television industry, men and the violence they beget, and her incredibly complicated experiences with her own mother who was an abuser and who died when the artist was 18.
This was a phenomenal read. It made me scare up a couple others issues of the Last Interview series, and also I had to add her memoir Rememberings to my list of memoirs to read. Y'all know I love a memoir, I anticipate Sinéad's to be stellar. Highly recommended. RIP....more
Yo Josh Cook is a real one. The Art of Libromancy was incredible, eye-opening, and taught me a lot about the art of book-selling.
I stumbled upon thisYo Josh Cook is a real one. The Art of Libromancy was incredible, eye-opening, and taught me a lot about the art of book-selling.
I stumbled upon this book randomly, and I judged it by its cover. I’m glad I did because there is so much in here, and Josh Cook’s style of writing is legitimately the perfect entry point to this topic. I like his writing style so much, and related to it so much, that I feel like Josh Cook literally could teach me anything, at this point and I’d get it immediately.
The Art of Libromancy is so down to earth, realistic and fascinating. He dropped so much gems and told so many real world truths like: not all money is good money, book stores ain’t censoring anybody if they refuse to stock books by racists, bigots and zealots. Like, they don’t have to sell that shit. Focus on the folks who support you and your store, and not the one or two mooks who don’t shop at your store and are mad that you’re not stocking the latest misogynist or racist creep. Let them go buy that shit online somewhere— and let your store be a place of peace for your customers that you value.
This book was created for writers, and book/publishing folks, but I got so much out of it. Most notably, the author’s passion about bookselling is palpable. I don’t think there’s anyone who cares about their job as much as Josh Cook does. He had shots for everyone in this book; he pulled no punches. His tone is so relatable. He’s punk as fuck.
He had a lot to say to people who are obsessed with reading, like me. He exploded my reading list. He had so, so, so many book recommendations like my TBR has exploded but I also love how the author acknowledges the struggle of keeping abreast of reading and how many things there are to read and the reality that we may never get around to it all, but how it important it still is. Yeah, it’s his job to encourage us to buy, but I’m picking up what he’s putting down in relation to collecting books for your collection that you may not get around to because maybeeee you will one day and it’ll be a surprise to you if you were interested in the book and had it on hand— and how that supports authors in the long run. He talked about some authors he likes, including Toni Morrison, Percival Everett, and more. I love his discussion on the bookstore as a forever third place, and the importance of building community in your local shop. He gives instructions as a white man to other white booksellers on how to make your bookstores more inclusive, open, and warm for diverse communities, and he gets mad ratings from me for that endeavour. I firmly believe folks gotta talk to their own where required to create space for others. He talks about the importance of reading widely, broadly, and closely. I love that. The Art of Libromancy is very educational. I never really gave thought much about bookselling before reading this book.. but this was a phenomenal read....more
Giovanna Rivero takes you on a journey with some of these stories, some of them were eerie and all of them were provocative. This was a very intense rGiovanna Rivero takes you on a journey with some of these stories, some of them were eerie and all of them were provocative. This was a very intense read. There was so much loud, capitalistic, all consuming violence talking to quietly devastating, much quieter, interpersonal violence. All the stories were both terrifying but also required you to feel some empathy and confusion along with your rage. I enjoyed the gothic feel of it all.
Some of my favourites stories in the collection, slapped so hard on varying levels —
Fish, Turtle, Vulture. The poor mother in that story had her own plan to take back what was taken from her, and it was a great reminder that you may be able to make it out of a compromising scenario intact, however that doesn’t leave you free when explaining to others what happened to the people left behind so you could live a life. Conceptually, that was a very layered and super dope story.
I also really liked Kindred Deer, it was my second fave. The woman and her husband trading their health, love and everything else for some funds to pay their debts, that was a wild ride.. it was painful and I think that that story had a lot of meaning and correlation to the current state of the world and folks who are consciously being scammed to the point of death by large corporate entities (#FreeLuigi), or whom are engaging in harm to themselves to make a way because they have no other options, are boxed in by their circumstances, and so they’re doing craziness just to get by.
I've been dipping my eyes into some cute colourful books this week and this one stumbled across my e-reader. The art is cute, shares many points of whI've been dipping my eyes into some cute colourful books this week and this one stumbled across my e-reader. The art is cute, shares many points of why not too worry. It was the bandaid for the moment over the bullet wound of the past couple of weeks. It was alright!...more
Fascinating white man confronts death, sees father.
Real talk tho, the book was mad good. The explanations for the proc7 word review because why not:
Fascinating white man confronts death, sees father.
Real talk tho, the book was mad good. The explanations for the procedures that saved his life, his revelations about touching the other side multiple times, and the look into the commonalities between people who have sidled up to the other side and came back to talk about it, were endlessly intriguing. There's also a lot to be said here about not ignoring the pains in your body when they come to you. Get those checked out, folks!
An interesting quote I enjoyed from early in the book:
“Everyone has a relationship with death whether they want one or not; refusing to think about death is its own kind of relationship. When we hear about another person’s death, we are hearing a version of our own death as well, and the pity we feel is rooted in the hope that that kind of thing—the car accident, the drowning, the cancer—could never happen to us. It’s an enormously helpful illusion. Some people take the illusion even further by deliberately taking risks, as if beating the odds over and over gives them a kind of agency. It doesn’t, but it’s an odd quirk of neurology that when we are fighting the hardest to stay alive, we are hardly thinking about death at all. We’re too busy.”
“There are many chapters to every book. Reinvention is the compass guiding us through uncharted territories, reminding us that we are not bound by
“There are many chapters to every book. Reinvention is the compass guiding us through uncharted territories, reminding us that we are not bound by the chapters already written. To redefine our stories, we must find the strength to discard what no longer serves us and embrace the unfamiliar with open arms. The power of reinvention lies not only in the act itself but in the liberation to become the fullest, most authentic version of ourselves.
…Embracing change and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone not only keeps things interesting but also allows you to discover aspects of yourself and the world around you that you might have otherwise overlooked. The power of reinvention is that it allows us to shed the skin of the past and emerge as the architects of our own evolution.” - Law Roach, How to Build a Fashion Icon
FIVE VERY BIG STARS. Listen, this story is soooo much deeper than it may appear. Law, in his beautiful yellow suit on the cover tells the story of a young Black man fighting for his dreams, overcoming, sharing with us, how he overcame, and how we can improve our own vision and our own lives.
There’s not a lot of books like this by a lot of people like Law Roach. There’s only one Law. He can’t be duplicated, and with this book he reminds you that you can’t be duplicated either, and he ended the book with a sermon about believing in your dreams first. Like, don’t wait on anyone to believe in you, they won’t if you don’t believe in you.. but don’t just believe, act. Don’t stay silent about what you’re doing, share. Don’t be afraid, connect. Like, this book needs to be given to these teens stuck on instagram, and living with what I like to call Instagram/TikTok brain rot. There are clear instructions here for folks who are struggling, and it’s very very inspirational.
One of the things I’ve always loved about Law’s work, which is featured prominently in this short book, is how he has influenced so many folks, but especially Black women, to embrace the beauty and uniqueness of Black culture, Black hair, and style. I love how he inspired Meg to confidently rock her natural hair, and he really added to her glow up, bringing her true self into high fashion looks. Same with Mary J. Blige and her Met Gala look. He also inspires to elevate and show we are not a monolith. I’ve also loved his work with Hunter and Celine Dion: it’s out of the box, unique, and eye catching.
This was a phenomenal read about following your passions and encouraging yourself to continue, to grow, to evolve, to think differently, to expand, to take up space and at the end of the day, to never forget who you are! ALSO, to take care of yourself because when you work too hard and drop down dead you know what happens!? They step over your dead body babe. It sucks! So put yourself first, take care and love yourself, first. I love this advice for us all!...more
Morgan Campbell has a very dynamic family history. I feel grateful that I was able to read through his story and the dynamics in his experience. LearnMorgan Campbell has a very dynamic family history. I feel grateful that I was able to read through his story and the dynamics in his experience. Learning about his grandmother, his father and family was intriguing. I think these stories are incredibly necessary. Overall, it was just a little boring and a little bit of a struggle to read through.
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