nadia's reviews
565 reviews

All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class by Tim Shipman

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informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Wow — blown away by how detailed and broad this political history was, while still remaining interesting the whole way.

I did lose focus at times while listening to this, but I think that's mostly my own fault...

I haven't done any research into what else is out there but to me this is the definitive guide to everything Brexit, including how we got there and the immediate aftermath. I'd be hard-pressed to find a book as detailed and interesting. It really covered every angle!

Loved the appendices as well, especially the Boris Johnson articles.
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

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

4.0

Loved the structure and "meta" nature of this book. I didn't quite grasp everything but I was very here for the whole concept of this book. I'd never given that much thought to the Asian American identity struggle and this was such an inventive way to explore it against the backdrops of White America and Black America. It definitely gave me a lot of food for thought!
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Christine by Stephen King

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this book, but it felt like it dragged on way too much! I felt like I was at the 50-60% mark for ages!
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Dune by Frank Herbert

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adventurous challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I knew I had to have patience with Dune, but I wasn't expecting at times to still be struggling to understand exactly what was going on in the last quarter of the book. I don't want to penalise the book too much though as I did struggle to find long periods of uniterrupted time to read whilst I was awake and alert, so that probably had an impact on my enjoyment and comprehension.

The appendices at the end of the book were great providers of extra context — though I really struggled to fully grok the one on religion — and watching the 2021 Dune: Part I film, which was excellent, really helped to increase my appreciation for this story.
Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad by Michela Wrong

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.5

A wonderfully detailed book! To me it's must-read for understanding Rwanda, its history, and its political regime. On the whole, I was hooked, but I think I'd prefer if I'd read this one in print or digitally as opposed to listening to it. There were a lot of names and details and I got a little lost at times.
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Our Family in Fiji by David Todd

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Loved exploring this family history from a university friend. I knew nothing about the history of indentured Indian workers in Fiji!
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Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

A solid, interesting listen, but I needed more from this!  I felt like I didn't leave with a clear understanding of what was going on and why — maybe Lewis himself didn't know? It also felt like the book ended so soon after the main climatic event! Maybe the project needed to be extended before the book was marked as complete! Michael Lewis is one of my favourite nonfiction authors but I think I wish Patrick Radden Keefe had written this!
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Come Forth As Gold by Erica Dansereau

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
How awesome to read the debut novel of StoryGraph's first ever user? 😍

I enjoyed getting immersed in Kitty and Claude's story, immediately transported to the 1940s and the small, dusty town of Goldfield, Nevada!

Not being religious, I did struggle with the main themes surrounding God and faith. However, the protagonists' beautiful story still shone through!
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The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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

4.0

I've finally read this classic, in time for the latest movie (which I was surprised to see massively simplified the book, in terms of plot points and themes explored).

I really liked the book! I liked the letter structure and appreciated all of the themes covered. I certainly did not expect to laugh out loud at parts, especially so early on. Those who've read the book or seen one of the film adaptations might guess at what was the cause of this!

Didn't have as much of an emotional pull as I thought it would have though!
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You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this! A solid romance!

(Wanna go watch When Harry Met Sally now!)
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