libbykerns's reviews
307 reviews

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

gorgeous, stunning prose. great use of cain and abel. so much to consider. 
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

to quote MercyMe: “i’m finding myself at a loss for words / and the funny thing is, it’s ok”
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

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slow-paced

2.5

i learned a lot about what Ina has done, but very little about who she is. this book lacked emotional vibrancy—and that made passages, such as those where she went on about the remodeling of her various properties, read more like tone-deaf and out-of-touch flexes rather than (as with the parisian project) the glorious expression of a long-held dream. besides—i don’t care about the name-dropping of your various contractors and designers because i’ve never heard of any of these people. 
given her background, i can understand keeping the viewer at a distance. but if that’s the goal, why bother writing a memoir? (money, i’m sure) 
stick to writing cookbooks, queen. your prose is fine, but the flavor is better in your food
Radiance by Grace Draven

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dynamics were nice but overall meh. character development was subpar 
The Bradshaw Variations by Rachel Cusk

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

aesthetically satisfying but a mess of a narrative
Rouge by Mona Awad

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3.5

loved the jellyfish. kinda meh on the rest of it
The Woman of Colour: A Tale by Anonymous

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

3.5

she’s not a mary sue, but this is definitely a novel in which the plot is a bunch of horrible things happening to a painfully (uninterestingly?) good person 
Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

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3.5

so much happens here. drug here and then, but overall enjoyable and a Very Clever ending few pages
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

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

4.0

sherlock holmes is a good time, ok???