emily_britton's reviews
835 reviews

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Very disappointing. There was a brief section in which I was interested in what was going to happen, but for the most part I was pretty confused. And then the ending was terrible. This is a book written by a man, in which the protagonist is a woman who is basically manipulated or helped by a bunch of men, only to have her life saved by a man when she does something kinda dumb at the end.
All the President's Men by Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

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challenging dark informative mysterious slow-paced

3.0

 I was really excited to read this after loving The Making of the President 1960, but this was a completely different writing style, very journalistic and dry. It was very easy to get lost in all the names and positions. The story itself was compelling, but maybe it needs a newer retelling. 
The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Strange story.  Not great writing.  But my kids enjoyed having it read aloud to them at bedtime over the course of this summer.
Empress by Shan Sa

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challenging dark informative inspiring 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? No

3.5

 While this was a fascinating dive into seventh century Chinese culture, it was not nearly as much of a traditional novel as I was expecting and sometimes lagged in the descriptions of processions and palaces. 
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Kissing the Virgin's Mouth by Donna M. Gershten

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

I wish this was an actual memoir, but it was still fascinating and powerful.
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Simply delightful
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

 
I love it when a book isn't just a good story but I'd also extremely well written. 
Helen of Troy by Margaret George

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adventurous emotional sad 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

3.5

 I have very mixed feelings about this novel. At times, it was a bummer, which I should have expected, considering it's a retelling of one of the bloodiest conflicts of all time. At other times, I really enjoyed it and found Helen relatable and likeable. But most of the time, it seemed like a trashy romance novel with a veneer of respectability from its historical/literary subject. 
The Diary of a Country Priest by Remy Rougeau, Georges Bernanos

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

1.0

This book was neither relatable or interesting about 90% of the time, but I will admit that the translation seemed to hurt -- it seemed very dated. 
Holes by Louis Sachar

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5