emily_britton's reviews
833 reviews

Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay by William W. Warner

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informative slow-paced

2.75

Lots of information here, but perhaps too much.
How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

 Enjoyable fluff. I enjoyed the characters and how British it all was -- if you like Love Actually, you'll probably really enjoy this. 
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

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challenging dark sad tense fast-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? No

3.75

This is not exactly an enjoyable book.  War is never pleasant.  We know about what happened in WW2, but the day-to-day of the people behind those lines is shocking to be immersed in.  I will say that the twists were good and I got pretty choked up at the end.  But I will enjoy not having Nazis literally occupy my dreams at night any more.
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Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was by Angélica Gorodischer

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 What an unusual read! I thoroughly enjoyed it, although the names were a bit much.
Also, this is most definitely not for children, just FYI.
But the writing (and translating) was just beautiful 
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

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informative inspiring fast-paced

3.75

This is a fascinating story but not great writing by any means. 
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The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Really enjoyable.  I can't believe I never read it until now.
The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

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

3.25

Fun story, maybe a tad dry at spots.  My son appreciated all the Greek mythology allusions.
Akenfield: portrait of an English village by Ronald Blythe

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funny informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

Some of this was absolutely fascinating but some of it was less so.  It was maybe just a bit too long, too much detail about farming in Suffolk in the 1960s.
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Really enjoyable, poetic at times, and inspiring to those of us who dedicate our lives to the arts.
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Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

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emotional 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? No

3.5

Interesting.  I'm not sure the payoff was quite what I had hoped for, but it was overall an enjoyable read, except for the building tension of knowing the plane crash was coming.