internationalreads's Reviews (1.69k)

dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was… just ok. It had so much potential but the writing just didn’t do it for me.

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

Very different from NK Jemisin’s previous books. Brilliant concept but not perfect execution.
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Unique writing style; I liked it but it may not be for everyone. The pacing was pretty weird, a lot got packed in to the last 15% or so of the book. And I’m not sure how I felt about how casually the author wrote about domestic violence. This may be the rare case where the movie is better than the book!

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Unorthodox Love

Heidi Shertok

DID NOT FINISH: 56%

This book really needed an editor. There were several repeated plot points with the same exact phrasing. Some of the Orthodox aspects really bugged me too. And I kept waiting for the characters to become likeable and they never did. 
challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The White Bathing Hut is a short, devastating book about a man with a physical disability who, after falling from his wheelchair one day and unable to move, reflects on his life, from his athletic childhood to being diagnosed with a degenerative illness as a teenager to having a family of his own. The focus is on his family’s shame and secrecy around disability and the Norwegian historical context this is all taking place in. I really liked the short, fast-paced chapters and non-chronological storytelling. Needless to say, this book gets quite dark, particularly the scenes with his mother who often refuses to even acknowledge his disease, and the family history he discovers has been kept from him his whole life (the disease is inherited). This book is not for everyone, but I loved it.

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

A solid short story collection that gets better as you go. 
informative reflective fast-paced

Fantastic dive into the history of the k-beauty industry in relation to Korea’s political and economic history and the societal impact on women today. Hu (an American journalist) does a great job of incorporating her own experiences living in Seoul while maintaining a journalistic writing style.
emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

I don’t give star ratings to memoirs but if I did this one would get all the stars. It’s hilarious even though it deals with heavy topics (mainly his mother’s death from cancer). I read it in one sitting.

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informative fast-paced

I didn’t realize this book would have a workbook-type feel, with mindfulness exercises and journal prompts at the end of each chapter. There’s no new or amazing information in this book for me, but others may find it helpful. It is certainly nice to read on every page that doctors believe you and your symptoms.

I refuse to rate this book because I love BTS with all my heart and soul. But my god this book needed more time in editing and translation. Don’t read this unless you’re already ARMY.