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caseythereader

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Thanks to Pantheon Books for the free copy of this book.

 - THIN SKIN is the kind of essay collection I love: one where the author at first seems to ramble between ideas, but soon enough it all clicks together and you're reading passages aloud to anyone who will listen.
- This book is a perfect encapsulation of the current moment. How are we supposed to live when the world is crumbling around us? Does no one else see what's happening? What can we do to recognize the wrongs humans have enacted (and are enacting) on each other? How much impact do our individual choices have?
- All of this and more is explored through Shapland's own perspective as a white lesbian woman. The essays are not impersonal philosophical wanderings because her identity is inextricable from her experiences. 

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dark emotional mysterious tense
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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Family Lore

Elizabeth Acevedo

DID NOT FINISH: 33%

Having a hard time following who is who and whether events are past or present on audio. I think this will need to be a print read for me.
funny mysterious 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: No

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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: No

Thanks to Fierce Reads for the free copy of this book.

 - A LITTLE LIKE WAKING is one of the strangest, silliest books I've ever read, but it's also full of heart.
- Comparisons to THE GOOD PLACE are apt, given that this is a story of two people finding themselves amid the most ridiculous imagery. There are even illustrations in case you aren't sure you read that right (laundromat clown? Surely not. Oh yes, there she is!)
- For me, it was a little on the long side, but if you or your kid are looking for something over the top silly with a side of serious, this is definitely one to check out. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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: No

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to Saga Press for the free copy of this book.

 - IMMORTAL LONGINGS is a retelling of Antony and Cleopatra, set in a world of poverty and despair where no one can be trusted because people can swap bodies at will.
- This book is very much an adult Hunger Games. The body-jumping element was a bit confusing at first, but Gong is quite detailed about the mechanics of it, so you're soon enough blazing through San-Er with the protagonists as they slash and burn their way to the top.
- I thought it got a little repetitive in the middle (there were a LOT of people to murder), but there are a couple of twists in the second half that literally made me gasp out loud. I'll definitely be reading the next installment. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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