belgaer's reviews
70 reviews

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so poetic. It’s a story about mistakes and getting stuck and being yourself. 
Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation by Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman

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challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

This was really moving. I didn’t know very much about Israel/Palestine until this, and this was very eye opening.  In particular, “Two Stories, So Many Stories” made me tear up. 
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

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challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.75

Tin Man by Sarah Winman

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • 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

This was a sweet little read. It was moving and sad, but beautiful at the same time.
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch

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funny informative medium-paced

5.0

This is one of my favorite non-fiction books to date. It’s funny, informative, AND delves deeply into linguistics of the internet, a topic which is phenomenally interesting to me. This is the book I wish I’d had in middle school, both to explain why some things people said about internet culture or did online irked me, and to explain to me that my affectation of grammar-policing was not making me cool and smart, but rather annoying and close-minded. 
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

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adventurous lighthearted
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

The setting and premise of this book is really interesting, but I struggled to follow the plot. Which is probably my fault. 
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

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dark reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

The setting of this book is brilliant and intriguing, but the plot drags on forever. Landsman is a walking cliche: the detective who is ruining himself and lives only for his work; the rogue cop who gets the job done. Add that to the fact that nothing particularly interesting happens until about 250 pages in, and you have a slog of a book. This book had so much potential to be amazing, with the premise and the way Chanson built up the culture of the Sitka district, but it just doesn’t live up to it. 
The Detective by Jonathan L. Howard

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Johannes Cabal is the man you love to hate. He’s despicable but delightfully clever, and gets out of scrapes by the power of his wits. The book doesn’t dwell on the nitty-gritty details of necromancy, but instead treats it as something that he just does, which adds to the enjoyment. I’m also weak for a good murder mystery, and one set in such a steampunk universe is perfect to me.
The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0