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Jessica

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

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Jessica is Currently Reading

Jessica is currently reading

Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony

by Kate Murphy (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jessica is currently reading

Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House

by Jonathan Allen

bookshelves: american-history, audiobooks, election-mania, favorites, non-fiction, reviews, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in April 2025

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Jessica said: " The 2024 Presidential Election is over, and the campaign memoir cycle has begun. The third and (probably) final book in Jonathan Allen's and Amie Parnes' Trump Trilogy, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House is the most brisk and least The 2024 Presidential Election is over, and the campaign memoir cycle has begun. The third and (probably) final book in Jonathan Allen's and Amie Parnes' Trump Trilogy, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House is the most brisk and least bloated of the pair's books so far. Both Lucky and Shattered (and HRC, their reporting on Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State) are informative and well-written, but also padded out with long, winding passages about the finer details of campaign strategizing and unnecessarily long (and somewhat unbelievable) internal monologues. Starting as late in the process as they did, with the disastrous June 2024 debate rather than the primary campaign season as usual, much of that bloat has been cut, mostly for the better. (I say mostly because--well, we'll get to that in a moment.)

A lot has changed since Lucky. Joe Biden is no longer the folksy underdog hero of the Resistance but a narcissistic villain who caused all this mess in the first place. Kamala Harris isn't a cynical opportunist and untalented politician that Biden was peer-pressured into picking for VP, but a good-hearted, hard-working woman who would have shined brighter than everyone if only that dastardly Biden hadn't taken advantage of her good nature. The progressives are nowhere to be found. If Bernie, AOC, or Elizabeth Warren were mentioned at any point, I didn't notice. Allen and Parnes are over the progressive movement, and I'm willing to bet most people reading this are too.

But no one out of this cast of characters is more starkly different from their past portrayal than Donald Trump. Lucky went all-in on Trump being the living embodiment of Satan, waxing poetic about his racism and sexism and xenophobia, a symbol of the moral decay at the heart of America. Now, Trump is just another mainstream Republican, only with better showmanship and a surprising resilience against adversity. Little time is spent on his lawsuits or mean tweets, or even the infamous January 6th capitol riot. Instead, more focus is given to Trump's new and improved team, headlined by the hyper-competent Susie Wiles and her odd-couple work husband, Chris LaCivita. The pair manage the incredible feat of keeping Trump in line while fending off attempts at sabotage from the likes of Corey Lewandowski. Even JD Vance is treated with surprisingly little disdain. But the biggest reason why Team Trump was able to make a comeback was because of the man in charge: Trump himself had changed since 2020, and we see a much less impetuous and more strategic version of the returning president here.

Speaking of former presidents, Obama is much the same as last time here: cool, aloof, and losing influence. He, along with Nancy Pelosi, correctly predicted Kamala's loss, but is nevertheless shown as the guy willing to hide behind George Clooney rather than get his own hands dirty. Lucky ended by musing that a morose Obama must have been crushed to see the strength of Trump's turnout, knowing that his dream of hope and change was disproven by all of Trump's -isms. Allen and Parnes are less sentimental this time around: wild though 2024 may have been, this election is not painted in the same apocalyptic terms, and Trump's gains with both minority and Gen Z voters (a much more noteworthy development than what the authors acknowledge, if we're being honest) has driven a hole through the white supremacy argument that dominated the 2020 election news cycle.

Fight is undoubtedly gripping, but there's surprisingly little new information here for anyone who wasn't already following the news cycle. (It turns out Lindy Li was telling the truth in all those interviews, with nearly everything she said confirmed by this book.) What's more telling are the things Allen and Parnes chose to leave out or downplay. Nancy Pelosi's role in pushing out Biden is minimized, with no mention of her personally pressuring or threatening him to withdraw from the race (something which is allegedly confirmed to have happened by the authors of other election books coming out soon). The writers paint Harris' loss as the result of Biden insisting that there be "no daylight" between the two of them, ignoring how Harris had almost no policy proposals, gave remarkably few interviews and, when she did finally agree to sit down with an interviewer or two, could hardly spit out a sentence. No mention is made of Doug Emhoff's many personal scandals, including domestic violence accusations from an ex-girlfriend. And despite their attempts at fairness, Allen and Parnes still fall back on a number of liberal sanctimonies: admitting that Harris was only chosen as VP because of her race and gender but then acting outraged when she was dubbed a "DEI candidate," clutching their pearls over a C-list comedian's dumb joke about Puerto Rico, and ignoring the unmistakable sound of laughter from the crowd at Trump's jokes during a black journalists' convention. This is the type of eye-rolling bias that turns off half the audience, and is part of the culture that ultimately led to voters catapulting Trump back into the White House.

But the biggest cognitive dissonance is over none other than President Biden. Allen and Parnes devote the first several chapters to covering Biden's cognitive decline, not sugar-coating any of it, yet never seem to fully make the connection to what this really means. Biden's decision to run again, and his stubborn refusal to get off the ticket until the last possible moment are portrayed as the malice of a narcissist. But if this man was not cognitively sound enough to remember when his beloved son died, or needed tape on the floor indicating the path he needed to walk, or forgot that the lawmaker whose memorial he was attending was dead, then can he really be held responsible for this decision? And if he can't, then who should? The writers dance around the role that Biden's family and closest advisors, all in love with their new lives in the White House and unwilling to give it up, played in both running the country and trying to cover up Biden's condition. They were the ones insisting that he run again, to the point where they let Biden go out on stage during the June debate and humiliate himself before the rest of the world. If Biden was truly this far gone--and Allen and Parnes clearly believe he was--then this was an act of elder abuse on an unprecedented scale, and to blame Trump's victory on Biden is to blame the victim. This is the real scandal that journalists are failing to face. The president was compromised, the press covered it up (I don't recall Allen and Parnes having much to say about it prior to the debate either, for that matter), and the people closest to him cruelly manipulated him for their own fame and fortune. ...more "

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(60%)
— Jan 28, 2026 08:21PM

Aug 28, 2025 10:24PM · see review

Jessica is currently reading

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History, #1)

by George R.R. Martin

bookshelves: cool-covers, fantasy, favorites, five-star, read-in-2018, read-in-2020, reread, quarantine, reviews, currently-reading

Reading for the 4th time

read in December 2018

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Jessica said:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

" This book is a masterpiece.

Look, I get it. You want The Winds of Winter. I want The Winds of Winter. We all want The Winds of Winter. We wanted it three years ago, back when George R.R. Martin thought he could get it done in less than a few months. W This book is a masterpiece.

Look, I get it. You want The Winds of Winter. I want The Winds of Winter. We all want The Winds of Winter. We wanted it three years ago, back when George R.R. Martin thought he could get it done in less than a few months. When GRRM announced that he was releasing another book, none of us wanted to hear that it was a faux-history book instead of the next installment in the saga that has entranced us for decades.

And yet, when I heard about Fire and Blood, I was simply thrilled. I love history--I have a degree in it, after all--and GRRM blends history and fantasy like no other. I've been eagerly anticipating this book since it was first announced earlier this year, and it did not let me down. Creative, detailed, and enthralling, Fire and Blood was a wonder to behold. Here are some of the highlights:

The Rise of House Velaryon House Velaryon is name-dropped a few times in ASOIAF, but for the most part, they are a non-entity: formerly powerful under the Targaryens, and now fallen from grace. Here we see them at their prime, as one of the wealthiest and most influential houses in Westeros. There's Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, who made nine voyages from one end of the world to the other and led the Blacks against the Greens in their fight for the Iron Throne; Addam, who gave up his life in order to prove his loyalty to the queen and save a village from destruction; Alyn, the Oakenfist, who served and saved the royal family time and time again; and numerous other sailors and dragon-riders. The Velaryons were the closest thing the Targaryens ever had to a true equal, and for that they both thrived and suffered.

Rhaena Targaryen The endless stream of flawless Targaryen princesses can get a bit boring, so it was nice to see a great deal of nuance added to the seemingly-perfect Valyrian women. Among the most compelling was the persecuted daughter of King Aenys who saw one husband killed in battle, was forcibly married off to the killer of the first, and then ended up feeding the last one to her dragon after he poisoned all of her friends. She was fiery, stubborn, rash, and more than a little pissed-off with the hand life had dealt her. But she was also a survivor, and a fascinating one at that. Oh, and it's also heavily implied that she was a lesbian.

The Complete Dance of the Dragons After numerous releases covering different parts of the Westerosi civil war, we finally get the uncut retelling of the Dance that tore the realm apart and led to the death of the dragons. We meet Daemon, the ambitious Rogue Prince who will do anything to win the Iron Throne; Jace, the charismatic heir apparent who excelled in both battle and diplomacy; and Rhaenyra, the rightful queen of Westeros who is transformed here from the mad tyrant history remembers her as to the tragic figure who was robbed of her birthright, her children, and her livelihood.

The Reign of Jaehaerys and Alysanne The true Westerosi power-couple, Jaehaerys and Alysanne ruled Westeros for decades, drafting laws, arranging marriage alliances, and serving the realm. Their story is a careful juxtaposition of extreme elitism and concern for the suffering, of a litany of accomplishments and an inability to be satisfied with their lot. Together they limited the abuses of lords and nobles, bound the realm closer together both physically and metaphorically and, unfortunately, set in motion the events that would eventually lead to the Dance of the Dragons.

Septon Barth As both a humble man of the Faith and Jaehaerys' loyal Hand, Barth proved one of the most capable men to ever occupy the Red Keep. Through him we also receive the disturbing account of the death of Aerea Targaryen, a young girl who ventured to Valyria and was met with unspeakable horror.

Mushroom Of all the many sources referenced in Fire and Blood, none are perhaps as memorable as Mushroom, the royal fool who tellingly and hilariously provided his own version of Westerosi history, ranging from the late days of Jaehaerys I to the regency of Aegon III. How much of Mushroom's account can be relied on is up for debate, but there's no denying that he brings these stories to life more than almost anyone else.

As I approached the end of Fire and Blood, I found myself torn between wanting to find out what happened next and not wanting the experience to end. I already look forward to eventually re-reading this terrific novel, and am eagerly anticipating the next installment of the Targaryen family history. Even if it's not The Winds of Winter, Fire and Blood is still a force to be reckoned with. ...more "

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(80%)
— Aug 08, 2025 09:42PM

Aug 06, 2022 08:10AM · see review

Jessica’s Quotes

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

tags: darkness, drive-out, hate, inspirational, light, love, peace

78409 likes

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack

tags: secrets

3580 likes

“Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television.”
― Woody Allen

tags: art, humor, life

2456 likes

“But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

tags: hurt, salvation

1360 likes