candelibri's reviews
2064 reviews

An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed this so much after we got past the first 25%. I think I had trouble discerning what was happening and what I was reading but especially by the time I got to the 30-35% mark, I was INVESTED. 

Really rich characters and plot that held my attention to the end. For those who enjoyed “Girl with the Louding Voice,” think of this as the next step up from this, in terms of recommendation. 
Teeter by Kimberly Alidio

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Here’s the thing, I understood every word (and non-word) the poet chose….just not in the order they chose to put them in. 

Someone a lot smarter than me is going to have to help me out on this one because if there was a message or meaning? Completely missed it. 
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

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

5.0

No, stop, because if AI was patterned after Mosscap?? Now that’s a world I want to live in. 
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Oh I’ll definitely be revisiting this again and again over the next four years, especially 
Throat by Ellen van Neerven

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Excellent epilepsy rep (some of the best I’ve read in a long time) and to make it even better - LOTR references AND Vonnegut. What more could I ask for?!
Milk Teeth by Rae White

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reflective medium-paced

4.5

Ask the Brindled: Poems by No‘u Revilla

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medium-paced

3.0

I went in with very high hopes for this collection, but found the majority escaped my understanding. While the explorations of Revilla's queer identity come through, the ways it, I guess, conflicts (?) with her and her family's identities as Hawaiian natives is where I felt adrift. The connections were not clearly drawn (for me, a non-native) so I was not particularly moved one way or another. 

I found the notes at the back very helpful in explaining phrases in Hawaiian and giving cultural and political context, but, first appearances aside, it doesn’t seem that it’s what these poems are directly addressing. I may revisit in the future, to try again, but I think I will want to read some more Hawaiian literature before I do.