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582 reviews

arielle

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arielle’s Bookshelves

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arielle is Currently Reading

arielle is currently reading

Homesick for Another World

by Ottessa Moshfegh

bookshelves: books-i-own, currently-reading, short-stories

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arielle said: " Trying to get back on the short story train. Know without a doubt in my mind that these stories, whether I like them or not, are going to be a wild ride. Ottessa Moshfegh knows no other way.

Bettering Myself
This is a really difficult story for me ...more "

Apr 11, 2026 06:38AM · see review

arielle is currently reading

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

by Suzanne Collins

bookshelves: books-i-own, 5-stars, young-adult, currently-reading

Reading for the 7th time

read in April 2021

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arielle said: " It is an incredibly bizarre experience reading/teaching The Hunger Games as an adult. Doubt there's anything I can really add to the conversation that hasn't already been said. However, from a teacher perspective, this text is excellent for teaching ...more "

progress:

(page 172 of 374)
— Apr 09, 2026 08:34AM

May 09, 2025 07:03AM · see review

arielle is currently reading

Normal People

by Sally Rooney (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: books-i-own, 5-stars, favorites, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

read in April 2019

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arielle said: " While I'm bumping this up to five stars, I don't believe Normal People is a five-star read throughout. Nor do I think it will be a five-star read to everyone. I had similar thoughts following my reading of Sally Rooney's other novel, Conversations wi While I'm bumping this up to five stars, I don't believe Normal People is a five-star read throughout. Nor do I think it will be a five-star read to everyone. I had similar thoughts following my reading of Sally Rooney's other novel, Conversations with Friends. I would anticipate the style being something of an adjustment to most people. However, I would say that if you enjoyed her other novel, this is cut from the same cloth... and was, in my opinion, a step up.

While Conversations... was a slow build and took awhile for me to feel fully committed, I was immediately hooked on Marianne & Connell's story. The dynamic between the two of them was so complex and upsetting and real. Though Rooney crafts precocious characters who are often more intelligent and interesting than the people surrounding them, she proves that is not a guarantee for a more simple, happy lifestyle. In this novel, specifically, she explores the idea of what it means to be a normal person. She considers how we can navigate the world in a way that leads to fulfillment while maintaining healthy relationships with other people and leaving behind past grudges and trauma. Marianne and Connell's friendship and intimate relationship demonstrates a duality many readers will find relatable: sometimes the most confusing, messy, and hurtful bonds we have with people are the ones that teach us the most.

There were aspects of this novel I didn't enjoy, but I believe that was the intention. It's not a light, breezy read. It's an investigative character study that packs a powerful punch and deals with a number of uncomfortable issues (the most overarching of which seems to be our preoccupation with how others see and think of us). It's not going to offer a full sense of closure. It's not going to provide a clean happy ending. However, I don't think anyone going into one of Rooney's novels should ever expect that.

The level of wisdom and insight that went into this piece is commendable. I appreciate Rooney for her sharp, precise writing, deliberate choices, and ability to naturally embed commentary in a way that feels both subtle and organic. I remain impressed by the work she's done and fully intend to read any follow-ups in the future. ...more "

progress:

(page 141 of 273)
— Apr 09, 2026 08:33AM

May 01, 2020 09:03PM · see review

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arielle’s Quotes

“Is there a greater flex than love?”
― Caleb Azumah Nelson, Open Water

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“As a teacher, I think carefully about the intellectual space I want to foster in my classroom -- a space where debate, dissent ad even protest are encouraged. I want to challenge students and be challenged. I don't want to shape their opinions. I want to shape how they articulate and support those opinions.”
― Roxane Gay, Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business

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“In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted shortcuts to love.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

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“Idealism without consequences is the pathetic dream of every spoiled brat.”
― Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen

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“When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influences and genius, if he died unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

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