kodameansfriend's reviews
280 reviews

I picked up this book thinking: "I wonder how much of this information will be new to me, at 40-years-old," and although I've learned quite a bit of what's offered in this quick little book, there was indeed some new-to-me advice and knowledge offered in the pages of #HowtoBeaGrownUp. . .and OH! how I wished I'd read this before having to learn all the stuff I did already know the hard way!

With that said, this little manual packs in a ton of super-useful facts and ideals, from Mental/Emotional and Relationship Skills, to Financial and Career Skills, and I found it very interesting and easy to read—but I'm not sure I would have actually given it the time in my youth, simply because Young-Koda didn't touch non-fiction, and was even less interested in self-help topics.

I think this book is important, though...and even if the majority of young adults don't dive headfirst into its wisdom, I hope that their parents will still give it a read-through so that they will be able to do what they can to pass these lessons down to their children.

One thing I wish was different about the book is: I wish that the Financial Chapters were placed at the end, instead of in the middle. It's important to note that, while the other chapters in this book provide skills that are universally relevant, the Financial Chapters will only be relevant to Americans. I think putting this section after the Career Section would have helped market to other countries (who can skip the Financial Section unless they want to educate themselves on American Credit, Investments, Insurance, and Taxes). In the final pages of the book, the author mentions some lessons that they weren't able to fit in this volume, and the one that stands out the most in my head is: "Dealing With the Loss of Loved Ones." I think this topic could have easily merged with the mental, emotional, and relationship advice given in those corresponding chapters, and I wish the author, editor, and/or publisher would have considered splitting the financial and career pieces into another book, so that the subjects that were left out could have been included in this one, as they would marry so well with the Mental and Relationship Skills which appear in this volume, and so that people outside of the U.S. could have had a text that would have been wholly relevant to them. And to be honest, the writing and pacing of the book was good enough that I wouldn't have been mad if everything had been squeezed into the same book, making it a bit longer.

One of the best resources this book has to offer are the exercises and "homework assignments" given with each Skill Lesson. Not only does this book give great advise, but it encourages the reader to put those skills into practice, one lesson at a time. I will be very interested to see a second volume from Raffi Grinberg on "How to Be a Grown Up," because I'll definitely read it!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, Raffi Grinberg, and Chronicle Books/Chronicle Prism for providing me with an advanced copy of this vital piece of literature in return for an honest review. I sincerely hope the book does well, and that many people benefit from its wisdom—(that kids coming out of High School and/or going into College will be more interested in picking it up than I would have been at their age/s) and that Raffi DOES put out another volume at some point!

This short little graphic novel was both a history story and a gentle introduction to witchcraft. It's a quick read, and contains both interesting historical facts as well as basic information on magical items, as well as lore. Although I didn't find it un-put-downable, I thought the art was nicely done, and the text to be well written, interesting, and informative. There were a couple places where I thought I'd missed a page and went back to see that I hadn't—which made me feel like there were parts of the story that were missing (a major example would be how Biddy's trial never came about). My only other complaint was that one particular illustration did not align well with the text, as the words described a tool "with a white handle" which clearly had a wooden handle in the illustration. For these few complaints I've chosen to rate it 3.75 stars, but I would definitely pick up another Graphic title by this team. Thank you to #NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group/Leaping Hare Press, Lindsay Squire and Lisa Salsi for providing the ARC copy of #WitchcraftAGraphicHistory in return for an honest review!

Forbidden Love or Survival Tactic?
In #WeAreOnlyGhosts a Jewish man and an ex-Nazi reenter each other's lives years after their initial meeting in Auschwitz during WWII. What follows is a trip down memory lane, and a story of forbidden love—or is it a story of Survival? Jeffrey L. Richards keeps you turning the pages in this captivating story with excellent character development and storytelling that is hard not to love. The writing alone is compelling, and I found that I was anxious to keep finding out what would (or had) happen(ed) next in both the present and past storylines, all taking place in a history that is tough, but shouldn't be forgotten. The final transition from present-to-past-to-present had me confused for a bit near the end, but otherwise this was a beautifully written and heartbreaking story with a satisfying ending. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction who don't mind rated-R queer (MM) love stories, and can handle some tough subject matter. I'll be keeping an eye out for Mr. Richards's next book. Thank you to #NetGalley, Kensington Books, and the author for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review. 4.25 stars from me.