issyt's reviews
96 reviews

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Adorable and light-hearted. Love found family. Anya made me laugh out loud
Salt by Earl Lovelace

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
found it hard to continue
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

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

4.0

Beautifullly written but Esther was a piece of shit
The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is a social realist book (working class characters + a relatively open ending) but with a slight twist.  Sherrill brings the magical/mythological world easily to the real world as we follow M, a Minatour currently working as a line cook ( hence the title because from someone who worked in a pub most  chefs have a nicotine problem) and living in a mobile home. We follow him as he makes his way through life. 
I did enjoy this book but it wasn't memorable in my opinion. Whilst I mostly sympathised for M as he was often ridiculed for being half man, half bull, his final act during the last few pages made me hate him.
The Death of Grass by John Christopher

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

4.0

Men will always choose violence
The Coast of Good Intentions by Michael Byers

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

3.5

A decent short story collection about ordinary people. My favourite is A Fair Trade
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Felt like a warm hug and then it stabs you in the back.
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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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5.0

The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg

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

3.0

I found it a really intriguing book but because we are told what was going to happen at the end at the start I found the ending to be quite anticlimactic.
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