eggbeater's reviews
1194 reviews

That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones

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challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.25

Don't mess with the library! This award winning middle school librarian was disgustingly defamed, bullied online, and sent death threats in the mail for voicing her concerns about book banning at her local Louisiana public library. This only served to throw Amanda Jones deeper into activism. The book gave me some hope that adult minds can be changed.
Murder Road by Simone St. James

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

3.75

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense 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? No

4.5

Maureen Johnson hooks me again!
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

If we want change, we must acknowledge suffering and admit the past ties into the present. My knowledge of history has grown a lot because of this book. I found it enlightening, inspiring, important, and painful to face.
James by Percival Everett

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative tense fast-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? No

5.0

Huck was off thinking he was having an adventure with his buddy, Jim. But what was this whole scenario like from Jim's perspective? The consequences for him could be deadly because Black people and white people lived in two separate worlds. The book was amazing. There was never a dull moment. I thought it was brilliant. History is still tied into the now of things.
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 This book was cute and funny and just what I needed to counteract some of the more intense material I am reading at the moment. It reminded me of watching cartoons like Despicable Me as an adult. I recommend it for those that like fantasy and need a silly escape. 
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home: A novel by Lorrie Moore

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

2.0

I don't even know what I read. I thought it was ridiculous and pretentious--all over the place and going nowhere at the same time. It makes a mockery of depression and grief. But some high brow literary people, who are smarter than me, call it genius. I don't get it, but not all books are for everyone.
What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.0

This book was told from so many different perspectives that it was a challenge to keep up with, but it was a really well plotted mystery. There's a line in the book about girls living to be old enough to be safe from men that resonated with me. The victim was a teenage girl and that was hard to take, but it brought up a lot of valid points.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wow! This book reads more like a coming-of-age novel that happens to have a serial killer lurking in the background, than it does a thriller. It is well crafted, and the characters are lovably fallible. It's a deep dive into the late 70s, 80s, and 1990 when I was young, so I can really appreciate it.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 The real horror of the gay conversion camp was the doctrine and the prejudice of the church members and not the supernatural terrors. Which was, I guess, the point. The book made lots of good points. The writing just seemed a little immature at times.