kathryn0628's reviews
101 reviews

Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

From the jacket, I didn't realize how much of this book would be about Faith and our relationships with God. Being agnostic, I found those parts were a little excessive. Aside from that and a little redundancy towards the end of his stay at the monastery, I found his memoir pretty fascinating.

My parents live in an area with a fairly dense Mennonite and Amish population. I've always wondered why they embraced some technologies and not others. Willis' explanation about how they are worried some of those technologies, like television, would pull engagement away from the community that is the core value in their culture was enlightening.

The book has inspired me to cut out all social media platforms (except for storygraph!) for a week. We will see how it goes!

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so good! I had fun reading it. It was like the most deranged game of clue. I had no idea what was happening when until the very end. Love love loved!

The Killer's Christmas List by Chris Frost

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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

3.5

There was definitely more to the book than I expected. Good story, although it seemed maybe a little rushed? I feel like the author could have made it so much better with a little more something, maybe added to the list of characters or plot?

I think the whole thing with Laurens daughter, the smiling lady, and the ex's grandmother being the one to take her was an easy way to wrap up that story end. And then, was Millie in on it? She randomly went to school with the girl that was murdered but Seth randomly picked Millie's boss (who she had an affair with) as his first murder victim? It's like the author started with one ending in mind and changed it half way through. & How did Seth get into Millie's house without being on camera?
I also would have liked to see Tom's character have developed a little more. Maybe be involved in getting Seth psychiatric help.

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

I found it very easy to read as a lot of Cait's life experience is relatable to my own. It made me take an excruciating look at my heaping stacks of miscellaneous crap with genuine concern and inspired me to start my own great purge. I haven't started a shopping ban yet, but throwing out as much as I have in the past couple weeks, I have reconsidered buying a few things. Especially the stuff I'll likely never use anyhow. I'm glad I read the year of less & recommend to anyone who may be starting to feel a little bogged down with material things.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well written. Found it easy to envision.

The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Having been through my share of bad relationships, my attention was initially grabbed by the title. My morbid curiosity hoping to find any kind of camaraderie in the tales of some heinous man who commits truly unspeakable acts of betrayal against his wife. & I did find those stories but ultimately, this is a story about grief. Mortifyingly honest grief. I wasn't expecting it and probably would not have picked it up had I known, but I really enjoyed this book. I feel I gained both life perspective and a broadened empathy for those who've experienced this intimate of a loss. Memoirs aren't normally my thing but this one was worth it.

Content Warnings

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

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dark 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

2.75

I feel like I may have enjoyed this book more if the adam and eve narrative wasn't as obvious. I'm not quite sure what the message is. That men do not see woman beyond their primitive value? Men throw away/destroy relationships for new when they don't go exactly their way? They are just jerks all around?

I Reminded me a little of the movie Mother, I didn't love that either.

The Unquiet Bones by Loreth Anne White

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dark informative sad medium-paced