libbykerns's reviews
302 reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

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

4.0

i enjoyed this book while i was reading it! it didn’t grip me in the way that others of her books have and do, though. also, miss leigh has a TYPE
Can You Drink the Cup?: by Henri J.M. Nouwen

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3.0

it was ok, but not his best imo
Boys In the Valley by Philip Fracassi

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love an emergency priesthood but this wasn’t the book for me otherwise (damn u horror book club)
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh

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2.0

the writing style is strong, but the broad generalizations and inaccurate treatment of many (usually unnamed) texts (plus a misunderstanding of genre and it’s role in literary history, let alone contemporary culture) undermine any effective argumentation 
The Orange and other poems by Wendy Cope

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At 3 am
Names
Being Boring
Evidence

and The Orange brings me such joy. must re-memorize!
Plainsong by Kent Haruf

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medium-paced

3.75

i would die for the McPhersons
Tarr by Wyndham Lewis, Scott W. Klein

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Tarr has what is either the most fitting or least satisfying book ending i’ve read maybe ever. i can’t decide which. i read this book for class & appreciate it… and even enjoyed it at times. many complicated feelings, to be further unwound at a later point (maybe)
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Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
i just didn’t connect with the characters?? idk but it wasn’t doing it for me
Decadent Conservatism: Aesthetics, Politics, and the Past by Alex Murray

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

about to write a full academic review elsewhere, but this was a fascinating and informative book. i would highly recommend for anyone interested in the fin-de-siècle period of British literary history and Victorianism or for those who prefer the modern movement. 
Love Marriage by Monica Ali

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emotional funny mysterious 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

3.75

you know it’s messy when there’s a therapist pov