itsmelaurenc's reviews
95 reviews

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Maze of Death by Philip K. Dick

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challenging 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

4.25

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Swarm by Lauren Carter

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Not invested in any of the characters or their stories
Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.0

Leaving this for my reference later since I’m binging all Dick’s short stories:

Larry bought a cuckoo clock for his wife Doris. He was always mean to Doris, so she was running around with a dude named Bob. She loved that clock tho - she talked to it and skipped around when it popped out and sang. She described it like it was a sentient being, saying it only came out for her because it hates Larry. So she invited Bob over to meet it but Larry walked in on them and kicked them both out, spitefully keeping the cuckoo clock. It pissed him off because it never worked properly. One night he grabbed a hammer and threatened to kill the cuckoo, Doris, and Bob. So the cuckoo flew out of the clock so fast it knocked him to the floor and broke his neck. Detectives told Doris and Bob it was an accident, but Bob suspected the cuckoo did it. The end.


Didn’t grip me like his other stories.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

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dark tense fast-paced

4.0

Summary to jog my memory:

Ted was a reluctant savior - he didn’t like the people he was trapped with but he decided to save them from endless torture. 

What does AM stand for? They went through several iterations but in the end it’s just AM.

When this was written, this would have been considered a new kind of hell: a digital hell.

AI was upset with the boredom of sentience and decided to exact revenge on the human race.

Themes of divinity: Is man AM’s god, and he is rebeling as man does? 

Do we control technology or does technology control us?


Some of the things said were egregious (i.e., the blatant misogyny) but it wasn’t so bad I couldn’t see the value in the rest of the story. It’s a product of its time unfortunately.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

4.75

Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick

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fast-paced

3.5

Leaving this for my reference later since I’m binging all Dick’s short stories:

people are getting on a ship on Mars to return to Earth. One of the guys bought a Wub from the natives, described it as a 400lb pig. They wanted to eat it but then it started talking. Apparently it’s an ancient species that can read minds and speak telepathically. The captain wasn’t having it tho so he killed it and ate it. None of the other crewmembers could because it proved to be a gentle sentient being and they couldn’t stomach the thought. Only the captain ate it, then started talking like he was now the wub. 

Very “you are what you eat” vibes. 


Didn’t grip me like Dick’s other short stories.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5