bdingz's reviews
405 reviews

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

When I first started reading, the book felt like a Hallmark special—and I wasn’t sure whether I’d be into it. I soon warmed up to the story, though, and I appreciated how it subverted the
third act breakup
trope in the end.
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The Cunning Craft: A Torturous Path of the Wise Art by Nicholaj De Mattos Frisvold

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Well-researched, but ultimately just not my cup of tea.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Selling Out the Spectrum: How Science Lost the Trust of Autistic People, and How It Can Win It Back by Liam O'Dell

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hopeful informative reflective
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book.

An ambitious debut, Liam O’Dell’s Selling Out The Spectrum takes on issues that have long frustrated academics and autistic advocates alike. With thorough research and a hefty number of interviews, the author interrogates the legacies of controversial figures like Andrew Wakefield and Simon Baron-Cohen. O’Dell doesn’t simply rail against the academic machine, however—he consults with researchers, charities and autistics themselves to paint a nuanced picture of the problems at hand.

My main criticism is that, at times, O’Dell’s own voice got lost in the sea of interviews. As someone with a background in journalism, I know this might be counterintuitive to someone of the author’s profession. However, I would’ve liked to hear more from him outside of the introduction and conclusion. 

If you liked We’re Not Broken by Eric Garcia, be sure to pick up this when you can. 
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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Cozy and sweet. The characters felt very real to me.

The audiobook narrator is excellent!
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The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga

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challenging informative
This book was not what I expected, based on the title and recommendations I’d read. I was very close to giving it a DNF once I read the “deny trauma” bit, but I pushed through. I don’t know that I’m going to live an Adlerian lifestyle or anything, but there are some concepts here that are useful as thought exercises, if nothing else.
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Haunted Girl: Esther Cox & the Great Amherst Mystery by Laurie Glenn Norris, Barbara Thompson

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dark informative mysterious medium-paced

3.25

The authors do a great job compiling what little information is available about Esther Cox and organizing a narrative. I’m not sure the book quite does what it sets out to do, which is to “demystify” Cox and combat much of the misogyny that’s baked into her story. Near the end of the book, Norris notes that Cox was more than “a haunted girl” — she was a “daughter, granddaughter, sister, wife, mother…” etc. Even though we know Cox’s life continues beyond the mystery for which she’s known, I don’t think it counts for much to say that she eventually lived a life that was expected of her sex at the time. 

All in all, some mixed feelings about this one, but I’m glad I read it. 
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Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

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dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A woman must first endure a victimhood of some sort—abandonment, abuse, oppression of the patriarchy—to be monstrous. Men have always been permitted in fiction and in life to simply be what they are, no matter how dark or terrifying that might be. But with a woman, we expect an answer, a reason.

This was a wild ride and my first foray into splatterpunk. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! Creepy, funny, icky. I support women’s wrongs.
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Of Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick & the Dark Moon by Kate Freuler

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dark informative reflective
Lots of interesting spells and rituals here. It was more Wicca-influenced than I expected, but I can adapt these things so that’s fine.

A handful of issues here and there. Some have to do with personal preference, others with citations and fact-checking or lack thereof. 
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Madison by Ngozi Ukazu

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

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