You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
cat_rector's reviews
76 reviews
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
This book sadly didn't hit the right notes for me. Hex is a tough act to follow, but as an author, I understand the issue of writing that next book. There were some great things going on in this book and I loved some portions. It's also possible that I didn't read it at the right part of my life, as that happens often to me. Either way, I still look forward to his next work!
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
I don't have a lot to say about this book. I listened to it so that I could understand the historical importance of it, and now I do. It is the home of so many building blocks to the modern understanding of vampires. I didn't particularly love it, but it's certainly an important piece of literary history
Beta Read by Anonymous
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
4.0
4.5 Review to come, just need to get my points before the new year
Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves
4.0
This book is good soft fun, if by good soft fun you mean mental anguish and violence wrapped up in a satisfying-yet-unheathy relationship.
I know that's how I mean it.
Prince of the Sorrows isn't what I'm used to and is part of my attempts to have more fun with my life. The book is dark and moody, and deals with a lot of trauma, which is definitely up my alley. And I owe it a debt of gratitude for keeping me company for weeks at a time as I settled in for bed.
The book hits a lot of sad and beautiful topics around sense of self, sense of relationship, and how people treat each other. I found it touching at times and if you're looking for a queer indie read about fey and also traumatized lovers, this one may be fore you.
I know that's how I mean it.
Prince of the Sorrows isn't what I'm used to and is part of my attempts to have more fun with my life. The book is dark and moody, and deals with a lot of trauma, which is definitely up my alley. And I owe it a debt of gratitude for keeping me company for weeks at a time as I settled in for bed.
The book hits a lot of sad and beautiful topics around sense of self, sense of relationship, and how people treat each other. I found it touching at times and if you're looking for a queer indie read about fey and also traumatized lovers, this one may be fore you.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
5.0
This book will require relistens, I can see it already.
I was happy to find a book that would deepen the work I'd already done trying to figure out my mental well-being. Like most people, I walk that thin North American line of needing healthcare I can't quite access, and this will be a great part of my journey to shoring up my own defences.
I'd recommend this to people who enjoy non-fiction, as it is a long book, and I'd recommend listen to it in chunks so that the reader can mull over what was said. The physical book has about 200 pages of appendices, and the audiobook is around 15 hours long without those appendices. It reads more or less in layman's terms, but maybe shouldn't be the first book you read on the subject. I'd recommend this book as a compliment to some more basic books on mental health or as a compliment to someone's current/previous experience with a therapist. I feel I got more out of it since I've been reading on the topic for a while, and I may have been overwhelmed with some of it otherwise.
It's also going to be a triggering book for some people. The author discusses patient examples in detail, which means hearing about rape, violence, acts of war, and people you will not like. If you cannot view these subjects from a detached standpoint, it may be hard to listen to, especially where some clients have been the perpetrators of crimes, not the victims.
I'll be thinking about so many parts of this book for a very long time, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the person who recommended it to me.
I was happy to find a book that would deepen the work I'd already done trying to figure out my mental well-being. Like most people, I walk that thin North American line of needing healthcare I can't quite access, and this will be a great part of my journey to shoring up my own defences.
I'd recommend this to people who enjoy non-fiction, as it is a long book, and I'd recommend listen to it in chunks so that the reader can mull over what was said. The physical book has about 200 pages of appendices, and the audiobook is around 15 hours long without those appendices. It reads more or less in layman's terms, but maybe shouldn't be the first book you read on the subject. I'd recommend this book as a compliment to some more basic books on mental health or as a compliment to someone's current/previous experience with a therapist. I feel I got more out of it since I've been reading on the topic for a while, and I may have been overwhelmed with some of it otherwise.
It's also going to be a triggering book for some people. The author discusses patient examples in detail, which means hearing about rape, violence, acts of war, and people you will not like. If you cannot view these subjects from a detached standpoint, it may be hard to listen to, especially where some clients have been the perpetrators of crimes, not the victims.
I'll be thinking about so many parts of this book for a very long time, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the person who recommended it to me.
Parity by Alexandra Almeida
5.0
Unreleased Book Has One Star Rating, so we're going to counteract that
Sedition by E.M. Wright
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Sedition is definitely a book for fans of introspective, deep characters who are enraged by the injustice of the world. Wright uses a steampunk alternative London to examine the intricacies of humanity, what makes us human, and the horrors that some of us inflict on others. Some lines struck me as too honest and raw to be anything but a true feeling of the author, and I think that it speaks to a lot of the moments of rage and helplessness we all feel (hopefully only from time to time ;) ) I was also able to spot a few "loose ends" that will surely show up in later books, which I find very intriguing! You should definitely give this book a shot!
Also, I listened to the audiobook and the quality of the reading is fantastic, so you should check out that option as well!
Also, I listened to the audiobook and the quality of the reading is fantastic, so you should check out that option as well!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Heart and Seoul by Erin Kinsella
5.0
Disclaimer: I’m Erin’s critique partner and have worked on this book with her through several drafts. This will certainly colour my view, becasue I think we did some great work together, but I still hope to give you a few great reasons to read it. Take this SPOILER-FREE journey with me.
Heart and Seoul is full of queer leads, found family, heartache, and love. I’ve never really dabbled in the romance genre because of all the stereotypes I’d heard about it, but this book surprised me at every turn. It cut away all the things I thought I knew. There were no catfights, no plot-long misunderstandings that could have been fixed with a conversation, no ‘pulsing members’. Just two fully-formed humans making human choices, caught in a marriage of convenience.
This book brought up a lot of emotions for me. I found myself yearning for a found family as protective and loving as theirs. I saw myself in Tessa as she goes through all of this while living abroad, away from her family (like me). I felt for Eun Gi as he stumbled his way through his inner turmoil over his past. And then there’s the feeling of wanting to reach into a book and strangle the ‘villain’ of the book.
I’ve seen a few people refer to this book like therapy, and that’s really the best way to explain it. Despite any conflict in it, the book is a warm hug and a cup of hot cocoa. Just what the doctor ordered to hide away from the world as it is today. Erin’s queer characters are welcomed for their queerness. The troubles that they each experience are well researched and respected. The whole book feels unique, personal and relatable. It genuinely helped connect me with my softer side, improve the writing of my own characters, and think about the ways I relate to romance inside and outside of the book. Granted, I spent a lot more time with it than you might. But in either case, you should absolutely pick it up.
Heart and Seoul is full of queer leads, found family, heartache, and love. I’ve never really dabbled in the romance genre because of all the stereotypes I’d heard about it, but this book surprised me at every turn. It cut away all the things I thought I knew. There were no catfights, no plot-long misunderstandings that could have been fixed with a conversation, no ‘pulsing members’. Just two fully-formed humans making human choices, caught in a marriage of convenience.
This book brought up a lot of emotions for me. I found myself yearning for a found family as protective and loving as theirs. I saw myself in Tessa as she goes through all of this while living abroad, away from her family (like me). I felt for Eun Gi as he stumbled his way through his inner turmoil over his past. And then there’s the feeling of wanting to reach into a book and strangle the ‘villain’ of the book.
I’ve seen a few people refer to this book like therapy, and that’s really the best way to explain it. Despite any conflict in it, the book is a warm hug and a cup of hot cocoa. Just what the doctor ordered to hide away from the world as it is today. Erin’s queer characters are welcomed for their queerness. The troubles that they each experience are well researched and respected. The whole book feels unique, personal and relatable. It genuinely helped connect me with my softer side, improve the writing of my own characters, and think about the ways I relate to romance inside and outside of the book. Granted, I spent a lot more time with it than you might. But in either case, you should absolutely pick it up.
Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams
5.0
4.5 Stars
This book was a fantastic portrayal of faith, cults, and the human condition. The duel perspectives helped to not only expand the events that were happening in the world, but to show faith from two different sides. Anges is easy to connect with and is the type of empathetic character we often wish we could be. I really enjoyed the examination of the Red Creek society and how every little detail contributed to the Prophet's control over the town.
I also listened via Audiobook and thought the performance was fantastic.
The only reason I'm saying 4.5 instead of 5 (which I have rated as 5 due to the personal nature of the complaint) is that there were some points I didn't enjoy because of the transition into faith in the second half of the book. While we're experiencing things from Anges point of view, things can feel a bit... preachy. I guess I came for the critique of cults and got a faith lesson along with it, which is fine, but this will likely turn off some more faith-critical readers. It just felt like more than I wanted to deal with at times, even though it was entirely true to Anges' character.
This book was a fantastic portrayal of faith, cults, and the human condition. The duel perspectives helped to not only expand the events that were happening in the world, but to show faith from two different sides. Anges is easy to connect with and is the type of empathetic character we often wish we could be. I really enjoyed the examination of the Red Creek society and how every little detail contributed to the Prophet's control over the town.
I also listened via Audiobook and thought the performance was fantastic.
The only reason I'm saying 4.5 instead of 5 (which I have rated as 5 due to the personal nature of the complaint) is that there were some points I didn't enjoy because of the transition into faith in the second half of the book. While we're experiencing things from Anges point of view, things can feel a bit... preachy. I guess I came for the critique of cults and got a faith lesson along with it, which is fine, but this will likely turn off some more faith-critical readers. It just felt like more than I wanted to deal with at times, even though it was entirely true to Anges' character.