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eri_cat93's reviews
268 reviews
The Catch by Amy Lea
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels, and Other Tales of Evolution's Mysteries Solved by Kenneth Catania
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.75
A light read with an emotional punch, call it 3.5 stars
Emma travels for work as a way to deal with her unresolved childhood (& ongoing) trauma - not that she realizes that. Justin has a so-ugly-hes-cute dog and is about to have a whole lot of new responsibilities thrust upon him. They both have a curse - everyone they date meets the love of their life AFTER breaking up with Emma/Justin. The only way to break the curse? Date each other, breakup, meet soul mate.
In a surprise to no one (reader or in-book characters) the fake dating quickly turns into more and our leads have to juggle their growing feelings, new responsibilities, and disappointing moms.
Nothing earth shattering, but a cute read that really did manage to hit me in the mommy issues more than it sold me on the love story, but I kind of liked it for that.
Emma travels for work as a way to deal with her unresolved childhood (& ongoing) trauma - not that she realizes that. Justin has a so-ugly-hes-cute dog and is about to have a whole lot of new responsibilities thrust upon him. They both have a curse - everyone they date meets the love of their life AFTER breaking up with Emma/Justin. The only way to break the curse? Date each other, breakup, meet soul mate.
In a surprise to no one (reader or in-book characters) the fake dating quickly turns into more and our leads have to juggle their growing feelings, new responsibilities, and disappointing moms.
Nothing earth shattering, but a cute read that really did manage to hit me in the mommy issues more than it sold me on the love story, but I kind of liked it for that.
How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication by Tom Mustill
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
What a delightful, fascinating book!
After a fateful kayak trip where he finds himself underneath a flying whale, Tom Mustill set out to learn everything he could about how animals communicate with each other and if humanity might someday hope to communicate with them too.
Part fact sharing , part story telling, and part love letter to cetaceans, this book pulled me right back down the rabbit hole of the incredible mystery that is whales. I very much enjoyed the personal and secondhand anecdotes as well as the walk through humans' history with cetaceans. I do wish we had spent a bit more time on the new and upcoming technologies that are allowing humans to inch closer to understanding the communication patterns of other species because that was all super interesting too.
It was a bit long/repetitive at times and could have used another round of fact checking but overall this was an enjoyable read and I came out of it with a whole list of other books to read and people to research.
After a fateful kayak trip where he finds himself underneath a flying whale, Tom Mustill set out to learn everything he could about how animals communicate with each other and if humanity might someday hope to communicate with them too.
Part fact sharing , part story telling, and part love letter to cetaceans, this book pulled me right back down the rabbit hole of the incredible mystery that is whales. I very much enjoyed the personal and secondhand anecdotes as well as the walk through humans' history with cetaceans. I do wish we had spent a bit more time on the new and upcoming technologies that are allowing humans to inch closer to understanding the communication patterns of other species because that was all super interesting too.
It was a bit long/repetitive at times and could have used another round of fact checking but overall this was an enjoyable read and I came out of it with a whole list of other books to read and people to research.
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
reality of living in a second Trump presidency while reading a book that predicted it is a little eerie.
Anyway, a new pandemic - The Violence - is sweeping hot, muggy areas. This one doesn't make you cough, but instead makes you go into a blind, silent rage that doesn't end until you've killed the victim your set on. Our main character Chelsea realizes that this new disease could be the key to escaping her abusive marriage and I thought that was going to be our story.
Instead, that plot line happens very early on and we are then plunged into the lives of Chelsea and her daughters as they try to survive in this new world while looking over their shoulder to see if their abuser is coming back for them.
Daughters Ella & Brooklyn get shipped off to the worst (but richest) grandma in the world for their own safety while Chelsea tries to find a way to get them vaccinated. This is when the "I didn't think this is what this book was" part of the story kicks in as Chelsea joins an underground professional wrestling ring to make ends meet.
This book sees battered women facing their abusers and fears, finding themselves and claiming their power. The horror element is certainly in the descriptions of The Violence and I had to skip a couple of parts that dealt with animal abuse.
It's a good read, a solid story, and mostly likeable characters. I do think it was a little long and the grandma's story is pretty meh to me (I really don't think she needed/deserved redemption but whatever). Overall a good, unsettling read.
Anyway, a new pandemic - The Violence - is sweeping hot, muggy areas. This one doesn't make you cough, but instead makes you go into a blind, silent rage that doesn't end until you've killed the victim your set on. Our main character Chelsea realizes that this new disease could be the key to escaping her abusive marriage and I thought that was going to be our story.
Instead, that plot line happens very early on and we are then plunged into the lives of Chelsea and her daughters as they try to survive in this new world while looking over their shoulder to see if their abuser is coming back for them.
Daughters Ella & Brooklyn get shipped off to the worst (but richest) grandma in the world for their own safety while Chelsea tries to find a way to get them vaccinated. This is when the "I didn't think this is what this book was" part of the story kicks in as Chelsea joins an underground professional wrestling ring to make ends meet.
This book sees battered women facing their abusers and fears, finding themselves and claiming their power. The horror element is certainly in the descriptions of The Violence and I had to skip a couple of parts that dealt with animal abuse.
It's a good read, a solid story, and mostly likeable characters. I do think it was a little long and the grandma's story is pretty meh to me (I really don't think she needed/deserved redemption but whatever). Overall a good, unsettling read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
Queen B by Juno Dawson
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A quick, fun little prequel. Queen B tells the very abridged tale of Anne Boleyn & her ladies as she ascends from witch queen to Queen and her coven’s mission to avenge Anne’s beheading.
A sweet if unexciting book, it was fun to dip back into the world of the Queen’s Royal Coven but overall I was a bit underwhelmed.
A sweet if unexciting book, it was fun to dip back into the world of the Queen’s Royal Coven but overall I was a bit underwhelmed.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
5 stars, easy
This will be a short & sweet review because if I think about it too much I will start sobbing uncontrollably again.
Told through Nana the cat's eyes, this is a story of the depth and intensity of love between man & animal. As an animal lover & a cat fanatic, this story cut me to my core and reminded me just how important pets are to us & even more so how important we are to our pets.
Nana's perspective, tenacity, and confidence as the narrator is engaging, heart warming, funny, and pure. Satoro's determination to find the right place for Nana is informed by his past and by his unyielding love and respect for his cat.
Highly recommend, but if you're an animal lover bring the tissues with you.
This will be a short & sweet review because if I think about it too much I will start sobbing uncontrollably again.
Told through Nana the cat's eyes, this is a story of the depth and intensity of love between man & animal. As an animal lover & a cat fanatic, this story cut me to my core and reminded me just how important pets are to us & even more so how important we are to our pets.
Nana's perspective, tenacity, and confidence as the narrator is engaging, heart warming, funny, and pure. Satoro's determination to find the right place for Nana is informed by his past and by his unyielding love and respect for his cat.
Highly recommend, but if you're an animal lover bring the tissues with you.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.5
Moriarty continues to remind me of why she’s one of my fave authors.
Here One Moment is the story of a plane full of people who unexpectedly have their deaths predicted, how they handle the less than ideal ones, and the older woman who doesn’t remember making the predictions.
This book was funny, cozy, lovable, tragic, and all around beautiful. Well worth the read and I can confidently recommend it.
Here One Moment is the story of a plane full of people who unexpectedly have their deaths predicted, how they handle the less than ideal ones, and the older woman who doesn’t remember making the predictions.
This book was funny, cozy, lovable, tragic, and all around beautiful. Well worth the read and I can confidently recommend it.
Gerald's Game by Stephen King
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.25
3.3 stars
I've probably said this before, but I truly think this is the most f*cked up book/anything I've ever read. OOOOF this was a hard one. Gerald's Game is an incredibly written, suspenseful horror that had me both needing to know what would happen AND taking breaks to process or prepare myself mid sentence in a way that only King can.
When a sex game goes wrong, Jessie has to get creative, and maybe a little insane, to survive. The story follows Jessie's efforts to survive and her even more desperate efforts to keep her childhood trauma deeply buried. There's gore, there's disgust, there's just plain f*cked up sh*t all through this book. It's not for the weak of heart or weak of stomach for sure.
My biggest complaint is the subplot of the Moonlight Man. I don't want to discuss much to avoid spoilers, but that subplot felt unnecessary and really made the last 1/3 of the book drag for me.
This isn't my favorite King story, but if you can handle it, I do recommend to horror lovers.
I've probably said this before, but I truly think this is the most f*cked up book/anything I've ever read. OOOOF this was a hard one. Gerald's Game is an incredibly written, suspenseful horror that had me both needing to know what would happen AND taking breaks to process or prepare myself mid sentence in a way that only King can.
When a sex game goes wrong, Jessie has to get creative, and maybe a little insane, to survive. The story follows Jessie's efforts to survive and her even more desperate efforts to keep her childhood trauma deeply buried. There's gore, there's disgust, there's just plain f*cked up sh*t all through this book. It's not for the weak of heart or weak of stomach for sure.
My biggest complaint is the subplot of the Moonlight Man. I don't want to discuss much to avoid spoilers, but that subplot felt unnecessary and really made the last 1/3 of the book drag for me.
This isn't my favorite King story, but if you can handle it, I do recommend to horror lovers.