sphynxreads's reviews
771 reviews

Contact by Carl Sagan

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hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.0

I wanted to read this because I remember loving the film adaptation as a kid and watching it multiple times with my mom who was a huge Jodie Foster fan, and I remember seeing Interstellar for the first time and thinking that it evoked a similar feeling in me that Contact had, so naturally I was excited to get into this. I would say I did like it for the most part. Sagan's writing is thoughtful, although I did struggle with it quite a bit. I loved how every "phase" of the story gave me something to think about: from the reception of the Message, the aftermath of the trip to Vega, to Ellie's personal life. Overall, I think it takes a smarter person than I am to appreciate this novel so I'll be reading some analyses of this book later on.
Nightwing Vol. 3: The Battle for Bludhaven's Heart by Bruno Redondo, Tom Taylor

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Another solid volume! Nightwing, Blüdhaven, and the entire cast of characters are all just so compelling that I could read about them forever.
Nightwing, Vol. 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor

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adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I JUST LOVE NIGHTWING!!! Action-packed, full of heart, and with gorgeous artwork to boot! Also loved seeing Jon Kent here.
Spy x Family, Vol. 10 by Tatsuya Endo

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dark funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Another solid volume of a great manga! This is a lot darker than previous volumes but provides a compelling backstory for Loid.
Shadow Agents by Budjette Tan

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

3.0

Rather underwhelming considering this is the thickest volume of the series. None of the stories here are particularly bad, they were just missing the thrill and intrigue of previous cases. I hope the next volume delivers.
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

Incredibly thoughtful, but also just profoundly okay. I'm not quite sure what kind of book I was expecting going into this, but I was delighted to find how it is an inspection of humanity and how it interacts with nature, history, culture, and each other—ratings included. I can't say I was entertained, enlightened, or moved by any of the essays. My entire experience of listening to the audiobook was mostly just "oh that's interesting" or "that's an interesting takeaway from so-and-so observation". I will say, however, that I'd like to write like John Green does—in this book specifically, as I hated TFIOS. I'd like to record my own personal musings on my life and experiences the way he does. Despite my mediocre experience with this book, at the very least it inspired me to spend more time writing.
The Art of DreamWorks the Wild Robot by Jerry Schmitz

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emotional informative inspiring relaxing medium-paced

4.0

When the original book, the film adaptation, and the art book all make you emotional, you know you have something special in your hands. Absolutely gorgeous artwork and an inspiring recollection of the creative process behind it.
Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

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

1.5

A fascinating world and a beautiful magic system that is viciously bogged down by an uninteresting plot, bland characters, and dragging pacing.
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.5

I'm probably not the type of person who needs this book the most, but I like how it challenged my thinking about cleaning, home organization, and productivity in general. It's almost funny reading this back-to-back with Atomic Habits. Both are gentle in their own way, but the approaches and motives are vastly different. I liked how this book made me question the parts of my life where I feel I could do better—not just in terms of keeping house—and evaluating where that pressure is coming from. If anything, I think this book helped me realize I need to be nicer to myself. If something in my life is functioning well enough, there's no moral imperative to keep improving it. Anything that warrants improvement should be driven by necessity and function, and not by any other unrelated form of merit.
Roswell Johnson Saves the World! by Chris Colfer

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

3.5

Predictable yet still funny and entertaining. Without the fairy tale charm, it's not quite as good as The Land of Stories but still has Colfer's signature humor and heart. I'm curious as to where the next installment will take the story.