Reviews by parasolcrafter | The StoryGraph

245 reviews by:

parasolcrafter

Moshi Moshi

Banana Yoshimoto

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

the way banana yoshimoto writes makes it feel as if youre hearing a story directly from a friend or loved one; you hear all the good and the bad, all the characters inner thoughts and worries, but you still love them after it all because, ultimately, you care for them. this was sometimes a bit hard to read - the grief was sometimes overwhelming, only for the scene to switch up and leave you with that emotion dragging you down when it no longer fits the words youre reading - but overall i really enjoyed this even if the ending was a bit...rushed? that might not be the perfect word, but it definitely was a bit of a shift from the rest of the book, the ending all happening so fast.

Content Warnings

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate

Peter Wohlleben

5.0

hopeful informative relaxing medium-paced

this was a really eye-opening and interesting read! i had no idea trees communicated so in-depth with not only each other, but also the world around them and that they have such extensive underground networks. i also love that you can tell just how much the author loves and respects trees just by reading this book! it made reading it so much more enjoyable; like when you have a teacher in school who so obviously loves what they're doing, it makes it feel like everything you learn is something extra special.

We Should All Be Feminists

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

5.0

informative fast-paced

ive come across full length books that dont talk about feminism as in-depth and succinctly as this essay does, like...this is so short but is so expertly written.

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Him

Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen

2.5

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this book was definitely...fine. its nothing groundbreaking, its nothing spectacular, but its not horrible either. its just...a fine book. i didnt know it would be so sex-heavy when i got into it so it was a little jarring - it really does turn out to be more porn that substance near the halfway mark - which is fine, i just wish everything else would have been developed more. like there should have been more tension and angst before there was any relationship development, but for what this book is, its okay. i guess the other books in the series can go more into depth on the two characters, but i dont have much hope bc this book was quite shallow :/

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The Other Black Girl

Zakiya Dalila Harris

5.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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: Yes

oh, i really did love this book so much <3 i dont read many thrillers like this book, but as far as i can remember this is the only thriller-esque book ive ever read that ive actually been able to figure things out myself without plot points being either completely explained to me, or with the plot points actually having nothing to do with the book. i enjoyed being on the journey this book took me on because as i read it i was able to piece things together with the information we were given, and it lead to the book unfolding in a very realistic way. its also a unique take on, slightly, horror. its not really a scary book per se, but the reality of what happens in it is its own Kind of horror. this is one of those stories im going to remember for a long time because its just so well-crafted and written and, sadly, believable. the ending was also good, too; very worrying!!! definitely very worrying and made me sad, but it was also where i knew the book was going to lead.

Content Warnings

The Yellow Wall-Paper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

5.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

Untamed

Glennon Doyle

1.75

emotional informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

this book was...fine??? i mean it definitely isnt revolutionary the way some ppl say it is :/ id say its a very shallow look at feminism; very surface level. there are some GREAT chapters in this book and some important things were said, but overall it feels like the author discovered feminism and is excited to tell ppl about it, as if we dont know what it already is? i dont know, it kind of came off sometimes like the author is treating the readers as if we dont know anything about it. and im sure this book is good for some people out there, but honestly a lot of the '''lessons''' we're taught about in this book is stuff i already dismantled inside myself when i was an older child/young teen. i didnt learn much from this book, really; its not bad, i guess, just definitely not for me. still gets a low rating though because i felt like the author was talking to me like i was a child.

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Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Malinda Lo

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring 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: Complicated

this book was SO GOOD but made me quite sad, even if it was almost hopeful at the same time??? definitely a cocktail of emotions! the characters were all so well-written and developed (even though i hate shirley; understanding her motives doesnt make what she does okay) and they felt so real. this is one ill think about for a long time. wishing the best for lily and kath :')

Content Warnings

Don't Believe It

Charlie Donlea

2.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

the premise of this book was interesting and it was pretty good for the majority of the book, but the ending falls completely flat and makes the entire book completely unenjoyable overall. there are far too many loose ends and tidbits of information that ended up not meaning anything in the long-run, and the end is a cheap way at a 'gotcha!' ending as the ONLY reason it catches readers off guard is because there is no way for us to have predicted it. its not satisfying. this isnt a book that i think back on and see where i could have connected dots and didnt for one reason or another; dots arent able to be connected in a way where the reader feels like theyre figuring things out because everything is so convoluted. ugh.

Content Warnings

Tastes Like War

Grace M. Cho

5.0

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

as always, it's a tad bit odd for me to add my thoughts to a memoir and this one is especially hard because it not only deals with the author herself, but with the authors mother in a deeply intimate way. i cant even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to write this book.

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