kathleenwho's reviews
40 reviews

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World by Elinor Cleghorn

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

A really essential book - relatable, infuriating and hopeful. Lots of case studies and anecdotes make it quite readable but some chapters have a lot of information on different topics in quick succession which make it a bit difficult to digest at times. Overall thoroughly recommend!

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Pet Sematary by Stephen King

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

3 stars because, like any other King novel, I could not put it down. Only 3 because this is maybe my least favourite so far - the build-up was suspenseful and well-written, but very long compared to the climax, which was a bit disappointing and cringey.  

There is a lot of outdated language and ideas with regards to Native American cultures, disability, and chronic and terminal illness - mostly in-character for the time and culture of the story, but still jarring. 

Particularly strong book for King's weird horny comparisons that seem completely inappropriate, e.g.
describing hills in a graveyard while the main character is digging up his son's grave as being "as natural and beautiful as a woman's breasts."
.

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Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

4.5


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The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

For a historical non-fiction book (I usually find these quite dry and difficult to finish), this is really beautifully and skillfully written despite the horrible subject matter, and compassionate about the people involved and history in general. Way too many people involved to follow easily (not the author's fault) - keep a note of who's who! 

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I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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challenging emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.0


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Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5


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Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan

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dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0


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