janenx01's reviews
56 reviews

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
This was supposed to be a re-read of a book I loved as a teen but it was a little too whimsical for me as an adult. 
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

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

5.0

Like many of us I read this again because of the upcoming movie. I first read it in 1972 and now I’m almost as old as Sylvia! There’s a reason it’s a classic - so many women went through similar experiences and Judy Blume is an expert at recounting them. Fun to revisit! I hope Margaret is doing well :)
The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
I really wanted to like this one. It just didn’t click for me. I’m moving it to DNF but might go back to it in another frame of mind. 
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick

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adventurous challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0

Absolutely appalling cruelty to whales made this a very tough read. Be warned. 


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The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
It was free so I gave it a good chance but I'm just not a thriller person. 
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I hated The Martian and I hated this. Weir thinks he's funnier than he is really is. Too many sentence fragments. Not for me, but it takes all kinds to make a literary world. 
How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Picked this one up because an article said it was Hayao Miyazaki's favorite book as a kid, and I was intrigued. About a Japanese boy and his friends right before WWII. Kind of sad and poignant but I can't really put my finger on why. Maybe because you know the war is coming. 
Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

If you like Georgette Heyer or Barbara Pym, you'll enjoy this. British village in maybe the 20s/30s. Woman writes a book about her town and pisses everyone off. Light, bright and sparkling but not super intellectual, which is a compliment. 

The sequels aren't as fun, unfortunately. 
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

My most favorite LM Montgomery book. The love story is a little corny, but I continue to read this over and over because her descriptions of nature are so sublime. I, too, want to live in a picturesque cabin on a island in a lake in the middle of a forest. 

More adult than her Anne novels - there is sex mentioned! You've been warned! 

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