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justinlife's reviews
890 reviews
All the Wrong Pages by Katherine McIntyre
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This one was a lot of fun.
Small town bookstore clerk has huge crush on all around good guy and leather worker with a failing business. They've known each other for years and everyone knows he has a crush except the guy. When he does find out, things get spicy.
I was surprised at the kink play in this book. I wasn't expecting it and I feel like the author had a lot of fun with it. This was the best of the Collier Creek series so far.
Small town bookstore clerk has huge crush on all around good guy and leather worker with a failing business. They've known each other for years and everyone knows he has a crush except the guy. When he does find out, things get spicy.
I was surprised at the kink play in this book. I wasn't expecting it and I feel like the author had a lot of fun with it. This was the best of the Collier Creek series so far.
Sherriff of the Creek by Sue Brown
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was ok. I'm not one for work romances and age gap so it wasn't for me.
The sheriff of Collier has a crush on the dispatcher. The YOUNG dispatcher has a crust on the Sheriff. It takes awhile for anything to happen and the dispatcher has a past that had me going "where did this come from? there's nothing in the character so far that lead to this."
I wanted more from this and wish the sheriff fell for anyone but his own worker, but alas here we are.
The sheriff of Collier has a crush on the dispatcher. The YOUNG dispatcher has a crust on the Sheriff. It takes awhile for anything to happen and the dispatcher has a past that had me going "where did this come from? there's nothing in the character so far that lead to this."
I wanted more from this and wish the sheriff fell for anyone but his own worker, but alas here we are.
Mandatory Repairs by Elle Keaton
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Similar to the first one, this book is about 200 pages and it's a quick read about a Max who comes to Collier Creek to visit his half sister and falls for her ranch manager Nash who is wary of him.
Overall I liked it even if the characters do a 180 about halfway through. Nash is firm on hating him until he isn't. The swing was so hard that I missed where it happened, probably due to the brevity of the novel. The characters are cute and it's a quick read.
Overall I liked it even if the characters do a 180 about halfway through. Nash is firm on hating him until he isn't. The swing was so hard that I missed where it happened, probably due to the brevity of the novel. The characters are cute and it's a quick read.
Best Kind of Awkward by Becca Seymour
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
So, when I look at a series of M/M romance, I'm wanting past and future characters to interact and create world that's interesting and connected. This series does not succceed with that. Because the books are written by different authors, I'm not sure all the authors knew what the others were doing. It was a bit disappointing. That being said, I'm still reading them so there's that.
This was a great start to the series and I had hoped to see more of these characters in later books. We get a single dad and a former athlete/school teacher who fall in love. It's a cute story, relatively short and enjoyable.
This was a great start to the series and I had hoped to see more of these characters in later books. We get a single dad and a former athlete/school teacher who fall in love. It's a cute story, relatively short and enjoyable.
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I think this is an important telling of US history that us Americans all need to read.
We get to see our nation through the eyes of those who were most hurt by it's creation. History and who is telling the history always has a point of view and it's never neutral. What gets told and how that gets told matters.
While this is an important book about our nation's history, it's also a book of military history and how much of our military tactics come from war with Indian Nations. There's a lot here to process and Dunbar-Ortiz does a stellar job of making the history palatable and accessible.
One thing I appreciated was her word choices. How she frames history hasn't been framed in this way and it's eye opening.
Highly recommend this one.
We get to see our nation through the eyes of those who were most hurt by it's creation. History and who is telling the history always has a point of view and it's never neutral. What gets told and how that gets told matters.
While this is an important book about our nation's history, it's also a book of military history and how much of our military tactics come from war with Indian Nations. There's a lot here to process and Dunbar-Ortiz does a stellar job of making the history palatable and accessible.
One thing I appreciated was her word choices. How she frames history hasn't been framed in this way and it's eye opening.
Highly recommend this one.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Overall I liked this book.
The story has some problems and some things I didn't understand the purpose of, but it was a fun adventure in New Orleans. It was an interesting take on urban fantasy. I do wonder if there will be more to this series.
The story revolves around two different New Orleans. One is in our world and the other is a magical world. That world was fun and interesting. What's hard though is that the reader doesn't really know which is which until too far into the book. We follow Perilous Graves and his sister as they are trying to save their New Orleans. For some reason, they are young children like 10 and 6 I believe. I didn't see the point of having them that young. It didn't make sense to me as they felt they were in their teens.
I appreciated their were trans characters whose story wasn't just their transness. They had full lives and it was interesting to read.
I don't know if I would recommend this book. It was hard for me to follow and even though I enjoyed the magical world that was created, it took work.
The story has some problems and some things I didn't understand the purpose of, but it was a fun adventure in New Orleans. It was an interesting take on urban fantasy. I do wonder if there will be more to this series.
The story revolves around two different New Orleans. One is in our world and the other is a magical world. That world was fun and interesting. What's hard though is that the reader doesn't really know which is which until too far into the book. We follow Perilous Graves and his sister as they are trying to save their New Orleans. For some reason, they are young children like 10 and 6 I believe. I didn't see the point of having them that young. It didn't make sense to me as they felt they were in their teens.
I appreciated their were trans characters whose story wasn't just their transness. They had full lives and it was interesting to read.
I don't know if I would recommend this book. It was hard for me to follow and even though I enjoyed the magical world that was created, it took work.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
James Baldwin is an incredible writer.
In Giovanni's Room, Balwin explores sexuality without the intersection of race. His protagonist is a white man in the 50s living in Paris, trying to find himself- or hiding from himself. He meets Giovanni and his world changes.
Reading this and considering the history at the time, this book was considered salacious and scandalous even though that scandal doesn't translate as well. It's a good example of seeing progress.
The story is told in first person narrative and the character, David, is working through his guilt as we find out that the next day Giovanni's set to be executed. David fell for Giovanni months earlier and left him as we get to experience through the novel.
Baldwin does a great job exposing the burden of heterosexuality on people who don't want it. He's not necessarily kind to the queer people though. The elder gay men in the book come across as envious, manipulative, and rude- which, I mean... isn't far off, LOL. Maybe they come across this way because they've been ostracized by society and now it still hurts. The problem with being different in a world that wants conformity hits David and he struggles to find balance and acceptance.
The novella is short and tragic, but it's written so beautifully. It's like you should be listening to a jazz record and relishing each sentence. Baldwin writing as a white man adds a layer where he can play with sexuality without having to worry about race. To me, it came across that it was important for him to have this time to work through his own issues with society's problem with queerness.
It's a masterful work in concise storytelling.
In Giovanni's Room, Balwin explores sexuality without the intersection of race. His protagonist is a white man in the 50s living in Paris, trying to find himself- or hiding from himself. He meets Giovanni and his world changes.
Reading this and considering the history at the time, this book was considered salacious and scandalous even though that scandal doesn't translate as well. It's a good example of seeing progress.
The story is told in first person narrative and the character, David, is working through his guilt as we find out that the next day Giovanni's set to be executed. David fell for Giovanni months earlier and left him as we get to experience through the novel.
Baldwin does a great job exposing the burden of heterosexuality on people who don't want it. He's not necessarily kind to the queer people though. The elder gay men in the book come across as envious, manipulative, and rude- which, I mean... isn't far off, LOL. Maybe they come across this way because they've been ostracized by society and now it still hurts. The problem with being different in a world that wants conformity hits David and he struggles to find balance and acceptance.
The novella is short and tragic, but it's written so beautifully. It's like you should be listening to a jazz record and relishing each sentence. Baldwin writing as a white man adds a layer where he can play with sexuality without having to worry about race. To me, it came across that it was important for him to have this time to work through his own issues with society's problem with queerness.
It's a masterful work in concise storytelling.
Death in a Darkening Mist by Iona Whishaw
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really liked this book and that caught me off guard. Obviously I wasn’t prepared for picking up a second book in a series, but I was drawn to the cover and bought it.
This is everything one wants from a cozy murder mystery. The stakes aren’t too high, there’s warm beverages and cold weather in a small Canadian town.
I’m impressed there are nine books in this series cuz the town seems so small. Like how many people are dying?
Former British spy settles down in a town in British Columbia and finds herself involved in a murder mystery. Much to my disappointment, this book is post WW2 and has some flashbacks to the war. As a reader, WW2 is not my favorite so I was annoyed. I was thankful the flashbacks weren’t overwhelming and offered more of the characters’ current actions.
Overall this was a lovely read and if you’re looking to wrap up in a blanket and read a mystery that feels like it will be made on Masterpiece Theater, then I recommend it.
This is everything one wants from a cozy murder mystery. The stakes aren’t too high, there’s warm beverages and cold weather in a small Canadian town.
I’m impressed there are nine books in this series cuz the town seems so small. Like how many people are dying?
Former British spy settles down in a town in British Columbia and finds herself involved in a murder mystery. Much to my disappointment, this book is post WW2 and has some flashbacks to the war. As a reader, WW2 is not my favorite so I was annoyed. I was thankful the flashbacks weren’t overwhelming and offered more of the characters’ current actions.
Overall this was a lovely read and if you’re looking to wrap up in a blanket and read a mystery that feels like it will be made on Masterpiece Theater, then I recommend it.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
This book is ridiculous. It’s camp. It’s over the top and I loved every bit of it. There are some lines in this novel that you know they just enjoyed writing. Like, when they were finished, looked at it and said “yeah, that was great.”
There’s a lot to this novel that doesn’t make sense and feels non sensical but I think that’s misogyny though. The novel takes place in a futuristic mighty morphin power ranger/voltron world where women have few rights and are subjugated to men. It’s YA, so you know there’s going to be a poor heroine, a love triangle, and an uprooting of the system that only she can do. It’s like they read The Hunger Games and thought “why have a love triangle when we can have so much more.”
It’s hard to describe this without being extra. I am not the primary audience for this. I did put in some Olivia Rodrigo and read through and it was amazing. I felt petulant as hell.
By the end of the book, you’re left with a twist, but also wondering if she’s the hero of her story or the villain. It’s hard to tell. It’s worth reading, but go in knowing this is pure YA and have a blast with it. I know they did writing it. It feels fun.
There’s a lot to this novel that doesn’t make sense and feels non sensical but I think that’s misogyny though. The novel takes place in a futuristic mighty morphin power ranger/voltron world where women have few rights and are subjugated to men. It’s YA, so you know there’s going to be a poor heroine, a love triangle, and an uprooting of the system that only she can do. It’s like they read The Hunger Games and thought “why have a love triangle when we can have so much more.”
It’s hard to describe this without being extra. I am not the primary audience for this. I did put in some Olivia Rodrigo and read through and it was amazing. I felt petulant as hell.
By the end of the book, you’re left with a twist, but also wondering if she’s the hero of her story or the villain. It’s hard to tell. It’s worth reading, but go in knowing this is pure YA and have a blast with it. I know they did writing it. It feels fun.
There There by Tommy Orange
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I’m giving this 4 stars not because I really liked it, but because it was well written.
I found this book exhausting, sad, and focusing on the bleakness of urban native living. In the book club I was in, it was suggested that maybe we need hope b/c we’re white, and that may be true.
Orange has a talent for writing well crafted characters. They felt lived in and alive. Their stories wrangle true to what the lives experience could be. It seemed so devoid of joy though that it was hard to get through.
There’s a certain kind of violence that pervades American culture and it’s here in this novel too. Orange humanizes it and allows what could be a headline feel personal.
My one beef that took me out of it was one newly sober person trying for sobriety didn’t have a sponsor or didn’t do 90/90. Someone who’s been in recovery would know that.
I found this book exhausting, sad, and focusing on the bleakness of urban native living. In the book club I was in, it was suggested that maybe we need hope b/c we’re white, and that may be true.
Orange has a talent for writing well crafted characters. They felt lived in and alive. Their stories wrangle true to what the lives experience could be. It seemed so devoid of joy though that it was hard to get through.
There’s a certain kind of violence that pervades American culture and it’s here in this novel too. Orange humanizes it and allows what could be a headline feel personal.
My one beef that took me out of it was one newly sober person trying for sobriety didn’t have a sponsor or didn’t do 90/90. Someone who’s been in recovery would know that.