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oceanwriter's reviews
719 reviews
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
adventurous
emotional
sad
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? No
4.0
I have been meaning to read this book for so long! I liked how the book maintained a somewhat modern voice without disregarding its historical setting. A good friend of mine gifted me a signed copy of this book along with another of the author's books so the reading experience was even more special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Child death, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Violence, and Deportation
One Piece, Vol. 3: Don't Get Fooled Again by Eiichiro Oda
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Seriously, I did not expect to be this invested in this storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Body shaming, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
One Piece, Vol. 2: Buggy the Clown by Eiichiro Oda
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Oof, it didn't take long for me to get hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Grief
Minor: Colonisation and War
Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
Another good book by Ben Macintyre. This was more of an 'ensemble' piece compared to the couple of other books I've read. Informative, although I did find my attention waning frequently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Mental illness
Minor: Racism and Rape
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
3.0
I read this at a party so I don't feel I gave it the appropriate amount of attention it deserved, but there were some beautiful passages that I highlighted that I will absolutely be revisiting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I lost the plot drowning in pop culture references. I'm very confused how in a matter of five pages we can go from American Girl dolls to the Manson family. The only reason I read on was that the connections were so absurd I needed to know what came next. Quips aside, it read more like a cultural essay than a novel — which is fine, but I was looking for a novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Eleanor Oliphant is certain she’s found ‘the one’ — a handsome band member who she sees on stage one night after winning tickets to a concert. It was fate.
While she begins to work on her ‘project’, Eleanor meets a new co-worker named Raymond. They end up spending more time together after they save the life of an elderly man they find in the street, They become honorary members of Sammy’s family, and for the first time, Eleanor finds herself amongst friends.
I’ve had this book on my TBR for years after a friend of mine recommended it to me. I’ve put it off, knowing that I trusted this friend’s recommendation and wanted to wait for the perfect moment to pick it up. As I’d anticipated, it won my heart.
While I can’t claim to wholly relate to Eleanor’s character/personality (honestly, I wish I could speak my mind as she does, there was a lot in this book that hit me. The book tackles some difficult topics and doesn’t shy away from the grit. It also focuses a great deal on friendship with hints of found family. It wasn’t quite what I’d anticipated, nonetheless, it was a lovely reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Anywhen by Beth Duke
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’m new to the world of time travel fiction and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the concepts. Anywhen sounded like a perfect book for me to delve deeper into this type of story as I love this mid-20th century era. Woodstock is such an interesting place and time to explore.
In the year 2101, Baezy is sent to the year 1969. Having been named after Joan Baez, she has a special sentiment for this time period. Going to Woodstock is the opportunity of a lifetime, especially because she will get to meet her great-great-great grandmother. Baezy’s time at Woodstock changes her life in more ways than she could have imagined.
It was interesting to see the contrast between the rugged and wild 1960s and a 2100s advanced and sterile society. The story mostly takes place in the 1960s and shows different perspectives through the various characters. I still struggled with the logistics of the time travel (but I’m slowly getting the hang of it!), but I found myself invested in the story, particularly the connection between Baezy and Kelly.
A huge thanks to Book Publicity Services for reaching out and inviting me to read a digital ARC of the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: War
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
For now. It's depressing and controversial and I am not up for this kind of read at the moment. Disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
When Secrets Fall: A Novel of Hope by Robert Cavazos
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
When I saw this book, I was so excited. A lot of my interests are very niche. I typically assume that if I want stories that explore certain subjects, I will have to write them myself, particularly if I want any kind of spirituality involved. When Secrets Fall has a large focus on Ancient Egypt, namely, found artifacts that speculate possible ‘otherworldly’ origins.
Logan Williams has been estranged from his father for years. With a family of his own now, he feels it’s time to reach out, but he soon gets word of Thomas’ terminal illness. He survives long enough to meet his granddaughter and reconcile with Logan. After his passing, Logan’s mother enlists her son’s help to clean out their second home which had been kept a secret from him up until now.
The house is filled with artifacts that Thomas collected during his career as an archeologist – another secret that had been kept from Logan. Though hurt and confused, his curiosity triumphs when he discovers his father’s journals in which he theorized a Biblical connection to Imhotep. Like father, like son, these artifacts become an obsession and Logan wants to venture to Egypt, hoping to bring his father’s work and theories to light.
This mission is not without complications. The FBI gets involved and Logan must discern if the agent is friend or foe, however, this might become a relatively minor problem when he realizes that he is recreating his father’s patterns and putting work before his family.
I do wish that the pacing had been slower. Everything happens so quickly (typically within a couple of pages) that nothing has time to sink in. It left me feeling a disconnect between both the plot and the characters. I would have loved to have seen more time spent on character development, especially the relationship between Logan and his father.
Above all, this story is about forgiveness, faith, and family. The talk of artifacts and the intrigue of theories certainly is the draw, but I wouldn’t say that’s where it shines given how far-fetched it is as a whole (both in theory as well as logistics). Nevertheless, it’s the source of action that drives the heart. My favorite scenes were the talks between Logan and Grace. I did have fun with the rest, of course, as it's what drew me to the book in the first place. I would love to see a Christian/Sci-Fi book from this author!
(When Secrets Fall appears to be the third book in a series, however, it reads as a standalone.)
Thanks to Reedsy-Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief