nookandcrannyseattle's reviews
241 reviews

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. This should have been two books. I wish we could have spent more time with Jude and Charles, and I wish we could have focused on the relationship between Orvil and his brothers. But both stories ended up being superficial because they were sandwiched together. Also, the final letter, which presumably meant to make the ending uplifting (which is nice because the rest was bleak), simply didn't ring true. Anyway, Tommy Orange is a beautiful writer. Better to be left wanting more than to wish for a speedy end!
The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda

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challenging funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've never read anything like it! And now I've become obsessed with the isiXhosa language. Can't wait to read more from Cakes Mda. 
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It's sweet. I think I've read my fill of TJ Klune, though. Sometimes I feel like he's bashing me over the head with the contrived emotion to distract me from the lack of sophisticated storytelling. Which is fine! Sometimes you want that! But if you've read one, you've read them all...and I've read three. 😂
Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity in This Crisis (And the Next) by Dean Spade

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informative fast-paced

3.5

Hard to rate. There were interesting elements, but it was less about mutual aid conceptually and more of a guide to improving existing mutual aid group efforts. I don't think I was the target audience.
Off-White by Astrid H. Roemer

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-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

There was a lot that I loved about the storytelling, including (maybe especially) the fluidity of time. There were stylistic choices that I loved less that I'm a little bit tempted to blame on complacent translation. Still beautiful and I will for sure read more!
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My first book by the author and I'm blown away!
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I think this book might be perfection. Style, structure, syntax: all perfect. Can't believe I slept on it for so long.
Shrill by Lindy West

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Lindy is really funny and an outstanding writer, so of course I laughed. But I've also never in my life related more to a book. And I've never felt more seen. So mostly I just sobbed from cover to cover.
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

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adventurous informative medium-paced

3.75

99% of it was just a series of white guys getting themselves into trouble in the jungle and aggressively not learning from each other's mistakes. Pretty entertaining. The final 10 or so pages where they actually start looking at the evidence of pre-Columbian civilizations...that section was breathtaking! That's the book I was hoping to read!
Henry Henry by Allen Bratton

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely devastating.