lindseythelibrarian's Reviews (559)

The Memory Police

Yōko Ogawa

3.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

We Ride Upon Sticks

Quan Barry

5.0

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring medium-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

This Rebel yell of a book follows 11 field hockey players in their 1989 season. It's such a fun, feminist romp and written in the collectivist "we". It's so weird, but it's my kind of weird!

Content Warnings

Melissa

Alex Gino

4.0

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

Efrén Divided

Ernesto Cisneros

4.75

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Front Desk

Kelly Yang

4.5

inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't

Jim Collins

DID NOT FINISH: 20%

I just got done with some fantastic books---and this was just not doing it for me. I was SO BORED.

The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller

4.5

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Iron Widow

Xiran Jay Zhao

5.0

adventurous emotional reflective medium-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: Complicated

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle

3.0

adventurous medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I was read this book when I was in elementary school, and it wasn't SUPER memorable. I remember the old movie better.

While I try to avoid comparisons, I've enjoyed other older middle-grade fiction more. The Golden Compass has a very similar feel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it more. I'm not entirely sure if I will read the rest of the series.

The audiobook was well done, as the narrator brought interesting and distinct voices to all of the characters.

Recommended for:
Children and adults who are interested in reading older sci-fi/fantasy.

The Dead and the Dark

Courtney Gould

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-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

What I liked:
As an Oregon resident myself, I will admit I checked out this book mostly because of the setting. Of course, the plot sounded intriguing too. I found myself guessing with the characters all the way until the reveals.

I don't think this books was really scary, though the atmosphere was crafted quite well. I thought the entire novel was well-written and enjoyed a lot about it including all the characters. The audiobook version was great as I felt the narrator really brought distinction and emotion to the writing

Recommended for:
Paranormal mystery fans--not cozy mysteries-- as there is definitely a lot in here to potentially make your skin crawl.

Content Warnings

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