Allyson Koehler > Recent Status Updates

ok update "Childhood's End" made me cry literally what the fuck

hey so let me know why "Child" almost made me cry

need to note this: trans women competing in NCAA do not experience "dominance" in any way, nor are they taking away opportunities from cis women. trans athletes can't get scholarships, IF they win, it's typically by a tiny margin (milliseconds), and not a single one is setting records. all records in running and swimming (the biggest concern) are still held by cis women.

this book is genuinely INCREDIBLE. so informational and emotionally charged at the same time. the awful disrespect/abuse female athletes have undergone and continue to undergo at the hands of "professional" sports governing orgs is so disgusting. never trust a transphobe when they say they're "protecting" women, bc 10/10 times the "protection" is invasive at least and abusive at its worst

im almost done with this but i need to put this thought out there and this is the only reason i wont give this book 5 stars: where is the shane hollander freak out? where is shane tearing into the montreal locker room, the montreal organization, for the betrayal after 11 fucking seasons on this team?? i want shane to go fucking apeshit!! i want him to take his 3 cups that he won montreal and leave with them!!!

i wish alex was meaner to the people who are mean to her. like she should be allowed allowed to tell people to fuck off and drop dead. wishing she would stand up for herself more but the mystery is fun!!

there's no page numbers so im just eyeballing it but im boooored the constant memory erasing is boooooring what if you advanced the plot instead

thought this was about ghosts, its actually about aliens and the apocalypse, im very disappointed

i always feel safe when i read horror/suspense because i'm so anxious i wouldn't do half the shit that these protagonists do. letting strangers into your home?? could never be me

i want a ghost cat

one thing about me: i will not refer to your family tree, nor will i look at whatever map you put in your book. is that my flaw? of course. but do i have any idea how any of these people are related? absolutely not. will i ever find out? also no

""Are you angry with me because Granny was so much with me and never with you?" she asks carefully.
Mum shakes her head so quickly and vehemently that Elsa immediately understands whatever she's about to say will be a lie.
"No, my darling, darling girl. Never. Never!""

The way this book is sooo good at ripping my heart out

doing a re-read because there's never been a book that spoke to me more than this one

been thinking about what it means to be a woman and its so refreshing and validating to see your feelings and anger reflected in other women. its a unifying feeling and i love angry women who recognize how often we prioritize the comfort of others over our own emotional expression and want to change that bc i want to change it too

some of these stories are so goosebumps coded and some are actually gut-wrenching. the back and forth is a little jarring, but Jones has a serious talent for immediately turning from mundane to supernatural in one sentence. Top stories so far: This is Love, Doc's Story, and The Dead Are Not. honorable mention to The Spindly Man, but docked points bc if that guy came to MY bookclub, i'd beat his ass, no hesitation.

the first 3 were a little spooky but the 4th one was gut-wrenching like it actually had me shook to my core

i'm almost done with this but so far the favs have been: The Black Strings, The Skittering Thing, The Brides of Devil's Bayou and Black Girl Nature Group. the worst one by far was Cemetery Dance Party

this book is FUN! so far Inheritance by Camara Aaron is my fav

adrienne needs to stop saying "oh i'll just do it before it gets dark!" and then is shocked when its night time. "oh i dont need a lamp in the attic," is this a joke to you?? dont piss me off

I love short story collections and i love ghost stories these are so fun

usually at this point i'll list which of the stories are my favorites so far, but genuinely i have loved each one. they all have something so special about them that i'll maybe bring up in my final review. i love how these magical stories are also so painfully human at the same time

sometimes i read what ms link writes and i have no damn idea what shes talking about but it still makes me feel like im transported right there with those characters and that is so magical

its taken me 40 years to read this book but Coates never misses. "I want to tell you that your oppression will not save you, that being a victim will not enlighten you, that it can just as easily deceive you." this line is INSANE

almost done with this one and its really good. skipped the chapter on the billionaire from is**** bc really I don't need to read abt the ultra wealthy the continue to profit off of genocide. other than that, great book

Keefe is such a talented author, I'm consistently impressed with his works! So far, the chapter on Herve Falciani is my favorite.

the chapter on Sarah Winchester is so fascinating. makes me really mad about past accounts or "ghost stories" i've heard about the house because they're all so completely wrong. of course those stories were told by men who are so quick to say women are "crazy" when they do anything outside of what they consider "normal." so glad i got to read a woman thoughtfully examining Sarah's life

The Bell Witch chapter was amazing. Poltergeists as a fractured psyche, a split self created by trauma experienced by young girls. Poltergeists created by the release of emotions (that men didn't believe women were capable of feeling). Poltergeist activity as a way take back one's agency after a traumatic experience. Supernatural forces as an outlet for a woman's rage.

ive been avoiding this book but my loan expires in 2 days so now im power reading. still corny as hell