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taliaissmart's reviews
2260 reviews
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
A fascinating exploration of the ways our perceived weaknesses can actually function as strengths and vice versa. I can certainly see why Gladwell is criticized for over-generalizing based on anecdotal evidence; however, I took his assertions with a grain of salt and found that there was still much to learn and gain from this read.
Overload by Linda Howard
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Set during a city-wide summer blackout in Dallas, interior designer Elizabeth gets locked in her office building with her ex, Tom.
The wildest thing about this book is how intensely irredeemable the male protagonist is. He's hyper-masculine and obsessed with pushing Elizabeth's boundaries (making her share past trauma that she really doesn't want to talk about while withholding all details about his own past, etc).
I liked the audiobook narrator a lot--she was very believable in the role of buttoned-up 90s girlboss. I thought it was a compelling story/time capsule if not a romantically appealing one.
The wildest thing about this book is how intensely irredeemable the male protagonist is. He's hyper-masculine and obsessed with pushing Elizabeth's boundaries (making her share past trauma that she really doesn't want to talk about while withholding all details about his own past, etc).
I liked the audiobook narrator a lot--she was very believable in the role of buttoned-up 90s girlboss. I thought it was a compelling story/time capsule if not a romantically appealing one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism and Stalking
Seduced by Story: The Use and Abuse of Narrative by Peter Brooks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 63%.
This one is for the philosophy heads and/or people who have read all of Diderot/Henry James/Faulkner...I am neither of these.
Computer Mouse by Christopher Harbo
never in my life did I think I would witness classic characters Tom & Jerry receive so many mail deliveries by drone. but here we are. late stage capitalist hellscape etc
The Bottomless Book by Michael Dahl
everything about it was bizarre including the formatting and the intended audience (?) but I kinda fw it
Notorious by Gordon Korman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Wasn’t enjoying. Flat characters, nothing happening.
Middle grade set on a border island that's half-US and half-Canada, starring an expat American kid recovering from tuberculosis and a Canadian girl who's obsessed with Prohibition-era gangsters and solving the death (murder?) of her last dog. She also has a new dog, but that one doesn't really interest her.
Despite all of these elements, the story crawls. I found the characters irritating and the pace mind-numbing.
Middle grade set on a border island that's half-US and half-Canada, starring an expat American kid recovering from tuberculosis and a Canadian girl who's obsessed with Prohibition-era gangsters and solving the death (murder?) of her last dog. She also has a new dog, but that one doesn't really interest her.
Despite all of these elements, the story crawls. I found the characters irritating and the pace mind-numbing.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
5.0
Muir has an incredible talent for prying her readers' hands off the wheel. I am as sure of her clear, crystalline knowledge of this world as I am of the fact that she will not let me see the big picture until she wants me to.
Harrow is a thorny hero to get to know, and in this book, it is her fracturing realities that frame the plot's ascension to godly heights.
A delicacy.
Harrow is a thorny hero to get to know, and in this book, it is her fracturing realities that frame the plot's ascension to godly heights.
A delicacy.
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Interesting concepts but clunky writing. Not clicking for me