booksandfin's Reviews (123)

A beautiful and well crafted novel on environmentalism through the lens of science and traditional ecological knowledge. I think this is a must read nonfiction for anyone.

When people ask me what my favorite place is, I’ve always responded by saying “the land I grew up on”. This surprises people because I grew up rural (and still am) 30 minutes away from the nearest town (which is exceptionally small). But the land has always been home and has been one of my closest friends and teachers. So a lot of this book hit home for me despite me being white.

I think this book is an exceptional read to help build not only hope towards a better future where we rekindle our relationship to land, but also to recognize the harm done. We cannot right wrongs without acknowledging and remembering how we have harmed. We shouldn’t be paralyzed by the dispare of ecological disasters — we should be emboldened to change.

This is my favorite installment of the Murderbot series yet! I loved Micky so much. I thought he was absolutely hilarious. I also loved that we are shown another caring relationship between bot and human in this book.

I cannot wait to see the old characters in the next one. I’ve missed them!!

I didn’t love this one as much as the first. I found the dramatized version to be rather distracting, but it was all my library had on hand.

I’ll still continue with the series because I NEED to know more about Murderbot’s past. I’m also just invested in how this socially anxious sec-unit grows into their own.

I really enjoyed this novella. I was skeptical going in, but I (like so many others) fell in love with Murderbot.
I’m excited to keep going with the series.

This was an interesting novella. A quick and gruesome read. I loved a lot of the elements in the story and how it fell back into original myth telling that is dark and eerie. I wish it had been a little longer so we could have gotten to know characters a bit better though. I think that there just wasn’t enough time for me to become invested in the characters.

Great for body horror fans! :-)

Becky Chambers has made me fall in love with Sci-Fi.

In this book we follow The Wayfarer, a tunneling ship in space with its rag-tag and interspecies crew as they journey through space and take on a job that could change the trajectory of their careers forever.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the definition of “it’s about the journey, not the destination”. I feel so in love with these characters, their stories, troubles, and futures. Becky Chambers knows how to write real characters. My favorites were probably Sissex and Doctor Chef, but I really did love all of them. (Even Corbin grew on me)

This book hits the sweet spot of “cozy” for me. It’s lighthearted and hopeful, while also remaining realistic. In a lot of ways, it’s reminds me of original Star Trek with the format of chapters, the cast, and how queer it is.

Over all such an amazing book I want to buy and reread!

This book surprised me in the best ways possible. Initially I thought it would be a quick pallet cleanser book, but as I read on small parts of me were changed alongside the characters.
This book weaves four stories centered around this cafe that allows a customer to travel back in time so long as they drink their coffee before it gets cold (among other rules).
Each story made a stronger and stronger emotional impact on me. I went in mostly blind to this novel and would recommend the same for others. The translation is well done and the writing is easy to understand.
I’ll definitely be returning for the other works when I need some realistic light in my life between reads.

This is something I would have LOVED when I was 12 or 13. Unfortunately I found the only character who had any depth to be Jacks (not even our main character). Too many of the characters were extremely flat and the world building was disjointed and surface level.
I feel a little conflicted because there were scenes I loved and it was a fast read. I only wished that the author had taken the time to make the other characters feel more real and less one dimensional.

also I’m sorry but everything was so predictable and the lines about how ‘it took courage to have faith’ made me cringe so bad. I don’t understand how anyone can like or have strong emotions for Apollo because he wasn’t even there? That and the step sister was so bland her ‘betrayal’ had no emotional impact.

I thought the writing of this book was absolutely beautiful and amazing. I loved being thrown into different character’s perspectives. I think each one (except maybe Frae’s…) added incredible depth to the story and mystery at large.

Some of the reveals were horribly predictable while others had me stunned. The magic system was unique and well thought out and explained. I loved the differences between the sides of the island and how Cadence is a character of its own. (Multiple if you think about it) 

 I’m absolutely reading the next book! I love Jack and Adiara so so much. I can’t wait to read what’s next for them and see their story wrap up.

This was a bit of a let down. I found the story to be mid and lackluster. I’ve read short stories that are able to pack a punch, but this just fell a bit short.
That being said, the illustrations were beautiful. I think it would have served better as a fully realized graphic novel.