thebakersbooks's reviews
281 reviews

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's by Hanna Alkaf

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wanted one more chapter at the end, but otherwise this was very satisfying to read. Would recommend (with a content note for themes relating to CSA and emotional abuse of a child).
The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Otani

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adventurous emotional tense 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

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

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adventurous mysterious 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

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley

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emotional hopeful mysterious medium-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

4.5

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters

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

3.5

The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

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

4.0

Brutal, but I'm glad I read it and would recommend it with a full list of content warnings. I liked the exploration of male grief around the loss of a child and male emotionality in general, both in short  supply in fiction for characters like Marcos. This book would have felt incomplete without mention of the real-life taking of "human trophies," white European men hunting Black people for sport, so it's good that was included. Same for the way white doctors have always experimented on the disenfranchised, especially people of color. I enjoyed the layered social commentary and hope I can make myself read this again at some point because I suspect stuff went over my head.
Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism by Maude Barlow

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hopeful informative inspiring

4.0

This book is like a Wikipedia article on activism, and I mean that as a sincere compliment and recommendation. 

Here's what I mean. It provides a helpful framework of history, some specifics that are maybe not relevant to everyone's needs but are close enough to spark interest in new directions, and lots of sources (in this case quotes from other activists) to prompt the expansion of research. It didn't quite provide me with next steps or concrete goals beyond more reading, but it did motivate me to get out there and try harder, and I appreciate the injection of hope on environmentalism particularly.
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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

5.0