camp_redwood's reviews
85 reviews

How Does that Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

So. You know the eternal curse of girlhood where you fall in love with your best friend and she either: hasn’t unpacked how gay she is and never speaks to you again, or, is okay with it but just loves you had a friend??… (Don’t play I know you know.)... This is like that, but one for your grandma once you realize she lived through that heartbreak and identity crisis too probably. (Maybe I’m projecting, but I’m getting my nana copy. 🤷‍♀️)

Repressed old lady with religious trauma, and unrequited/unreciprocated sapphic love- ends up toting her bestie’s ashes along on a cross country road trip ISO closure, avoiding the infuriating ex husband to stash her urn in storage to not bother his new GF. 
The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Mi-Ye Lee 이미예

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Sillyish concept and lots of clever smirk worthy pop culture allegory, but at its core still a cozy adult bedtime story. It felt like being tucked in and taken care of on a dreary day.

BUT- also…

SO MANY FEELINGS! I was blindsided thinking it was low key and got caught crying in public multiple times over a few scenes. Do not underestimate how moving this one can be.  (Adventurers, artists, kids… those aren’t the only dreamers. Prepare to have your heart ripped out.)
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

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

4.25

Nice and macabre, slow and easy enough to not actually be spooky
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The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

gut wrenching queer reflection on mortality, identity, and chosen family
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Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

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challenging hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective

5.0

Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and Me by Edith Hall

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

5.0

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Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera

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adventurous dark hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

started as a class read aloud for our sci-fi unit. We all truly enjoyed the first half but then May-cember happened and we lost momentum. 
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

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adventurous funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

TLDR: Brigerton, if the duke was a masc Daddy, and if Lady Whistledown was petulant fairy demoted to the mortal world. From there the fantasy arc gets chaotic but otherwise fantasticly queer and lewd without being too explicit to refer to my MIL without absolute shame.