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lenorayoder's reviews
120 reviews
The Favorites by Rosemary Hennigan
3.0
I liked this, but a lot of aspects felt a little underdeveloped. I think the narrative framing of the story does it a disservice. I wanted to see more of Jessica’s five classmates and feel more tension about where the revenge plot was going. The pacing also felt a little off, especially during the last third of the book. Overall a good plot, and I find Jessica, Charlie, and Jay to all be interesting characters, but I wanted more from it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape, Vomit, Stalking, and Alcohol
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
dark
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very interesting, definitely worth the read. Tokarczuk develops a fascinating main character who makes for a narrator that keeps you guessing. Even though we don't know much about them, other characters also feel real and leave you wanting more. I am still so curious about Oddball and his dynamic with the main character.
I really liked this, but it just felt like it was missing something that I can't pinpoint. Maybe something got lost in translation.
I really liked this, but it just felt like it was missing something that I can't pinpoint. Maybe something got lost in translation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Sexism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and War
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this! I can see why people who come here from the movie have a problem - while the plot is similar, the characters, themes, and feeling of the book are pretty removed from the adaptation. I like both for what they are.
The magical realism, somewhat non-linear storytelling, and flawed characters with distinct personalities are real strengths of this book. The style of writing is so charming and then at times startling, it drew me in immediately and enhances the story and characters.
By the end of the book I was still irritated by Gillian, but that’s not a fault of the book - like most of the characters she’s excellently written. The characters all feel real, and if I met some of them in real life I wouldn’t like them, but that’s what makes them interesting and propels the story!
The ending of this book doesn’t wrap everything up neatly in a bow, but that’s kind of the point. Life is messy. We grow and learn and try our best, but we are imperfect. We do what we can with what we have.
The magical realism, somewhat non-linear storytelling, and flawed characters with distinct personalities are real strengths of this book. The style of writing is so charming and then at times startling, it drew me in immediately and enhances the story and characters.
By the end of the book I was still irritated by Gillian, but that’s not a fault of the book - like most of the characters she’s excellently written. The characters all feel real, and if I met some of them in real life I wouldn’t like them, but that’s what makes them interesting and propels the story!
The ending of this book doesn’t wrap everything up neatly in a bow, but that’s kind of the point. Life is messy. We grow and learn and try our best, but we are imperfect. We do what we can with what we have.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Autumn Story by Jill Barklem
4.0
cute story, absolutely delightful illustrations. officially modeling my study after brambly hedge.
The Jungle by Emily Russell, Peter Kuper, Upton Sinclair
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
2.0
I like the message of the book and I’m glad it was published. It’s upsetting how much of this book is still relevant today. There are some really poignant and nicely written bits. Unfortunately, the majority of the book is a slog. There are a few parts with nice momentum where I wasn’t forcing myself to finish the chapter, but those were a small minority. This is journalism and a call to action disguised as fiction, and the layer of fiction being so thin makes it a chore to read. Glad I read it and I would recommend excerpts, but I would prefer an abridged version or a modern retelling that goes into the current horrors of the meat industry, monopolies, and exploitation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes by David Chang, Priya Krishna
informative
3.0
Way too big for what it is and some of the writing is confusing, but I like the overall message and I’m interested in trying out the ideas presented. The idea of learning to adapt and cook without recipes is worthy, and the tips provided were helpful. However, I wish there were even more tips or exercises for figuring out your palate and how to fix flavor and other problems, or a recommendation for further reading about how to adapt in the kitchen. This whole book seems like it would be better suited to a cooking show or web series.
Still think it’s ridiculous that a book like this is the size of a textbook. Well done index though.
Still think it’s ridiculous that a book like this is the size of a textbook. Well done index though.
Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse
dark
funny
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I really liked this at first and it was a quick read, but it really unraveled for me once she got pregnant. It’s a shame, because I think it could have been really interesting for the author to explore how someone with brain damage changes once pregnancy starts to affect their brain, but instead we got a weirdly boring devolution that didn’t seem to have much thought behind it. Just a cliche way to get to where the author wants to be for the sequel.
Also I’ll admit I’m sad aboutthe way she killed AJ. I kind of wanted to see if Rhiannon could push him into being complicit and instead he just gets murdered right away. Boo.
Also I’ll admit I’m sad about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Murder
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
A classic for a reason! It’s a little juvenile but it’s supposed to be. Lots of heart. I’m gonna go read fan fiction about Dally and Johnny and wonder if the icon herself wrote it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Obviously this book is an achievement and ahead of its time and presents some really interesting ideas, but when it comes down to how much I liked it… 3 stars. It just seems a little too long, and like many Romantic books from this period there are a lot of philosophical monologues that make me feel like the author has taken a break from their fictional novel to present an essay. I don’t object to a book having a moral argument, but I’d rather be shown that argument instead of being told (at great length).
My other main problem with the book is that so much of it is told from Victor’s perspective and spends time with him while he’s being boring and unlikeable (again, I think the book is a little too long). He never really owns up to his actions, but everyone he encounters still likes him, which is infuriating. It’s probably realistic, but it didn’t make for a very enjoyable read to spend so much time with a self-centered idiot.
I liked the context that this edition’s introduction provided. It’s interesting to see this book through the lens of an author feeling rejected and abandoned by her parents. I’m interested to read Mary’s diaries, where I can get her ideas unfiltered through unlikeable protagonists.
My other main problem with the book is that so much of it is told from Victor’s perspective and spends time with him while he’s being boring and unlikeable (again, I think the book is a little too long). He never really owns up to his actions, but everyone he encounters still likes him, which is infuriating. It’s probably realistic, but it didn’t make for a very enjoyable read to spend so much time with a self-centered idiot.
I liked the context that this edition’s introduction provided. It’s interesting to see this book through the lens of an author feeling rejected and abandoned by her parents. I’m interested to read Mary’s diaries, where I can get her ideas unfiltered through unlikeable protagonists.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Confinement
Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction by African-American Writers by
3.0
A little hard to give one rating to a collection of short stories by different authors. There were a few stories I didn’t like, but overall I either outright liked them or found them interesting.
I liked the mini biographies before each story, although sometimes they had confusing wording. I liked that the stories covered a wide range of time periods and had a variety of topics and writing styles. Added several books to my TBR based on what was mentioned in the biographies of the stories I liked.
Worth the read. I think the variety means most people would enjoy at least a few stories.
I liked the mini biographies before each story, although sometimes they had confusing wording. I liked that the stories covered a wide range of time periods and had a variety of topics and writing styles. Added several books to my TBR based on what was mentioned in the biographies of the stories I liked.
Worth the read. I think the variety means most people would enjoy at least a few stories.