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donohoeashley's reviews
119 reviews
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying: Lessons from a Life in Comedy by Carol Leifer
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
This book isn’t actually useful for unique business insights you couldn’t get from an ad-ridden listicle written in 2011.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Quite engaging and ended on a note worthy for this premise, even if I predicted the outcome the minute Nora arrived at the library. I think this story would be wonderful as a screenplay. It’s action oriented, and a majority of Nora’s revelations are expressed through her dialogue with Mrs. Elm. This is a quite endearing tale for anyone who may be feeling depressed and stuck in life.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The ending did not go where I thought it would. This read reminded me of A Clockwork Orange, as both main characters are so flawed yet fascinating to read.
Personally, I found the ending somewhat difficult to accept. I know it is rough timing to make a book about isolation two years before societal mass isolation, but the book’s philosophy that someone could be a riddled drug addict desperate to shut off her own thoughts and then just… stop… felt a bit too simplistic for a novel that was so incredibly rich and complex. I find the foil of Reva and our main character extremely interesting, especially with the parallels of our main character envisioning jumping out of a window during her drug-induced haze. The fact that Reva, not the main character, is the one who died, is a quite interesting concept to chew on. On the whole, I enjoy the ending, but I feel as if some of it is a bit unresolved/unexplored.
Europa by Tim Parks
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Simply a stream of consciousness novel where I did not want to be inside of that conscious.
Hideous Progeny: Disability, Eugenics, and Classic Horror Cinema by Angela M. Smith
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement by Ashley Shew
challenging
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Extremely enlightening— I’ll be thinking about the ideas included in this book when writing my undergraduate thesis!
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Sometimes, it felt like Charlie was the amalgamation of everything traumatic that can ever happen to a girl, which somewhat took away from my experience personally. It was an extremely quick read, and I appreciate where it ended. Blue is the best character love her.