katyjean81's reviews
1318 reviews

Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas by Harley Rustad

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adventurous informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

Fascinating. The story of Justin Alexander is truly one of our times in the way it blends a search for spirituality with social media and the influencer life, the desire to live authentically with the desire to be seen living authentically. 

It's a sad story in many ways, beyond the obvious. It feels deeply well researched. 

Glad to have read it. 
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely gorgeous. 

This book is such a compassionate, beautiful look at humanity, mental health and neurodiversity, trauma, grief, the mental health profession, librarianship, literature and the struggles and joys of everyday life.

I'm deeply moved by this book. It was a hard read and with every beautiful word. Sometimes you feel a book was written uniquely for your, and this is one of those books. 
The President's Daughter: A Thriller by Bill Clinton, James Patterson

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

2.75

Blatantly nationalistic and insufferably xenophobic. It's a constant run of testosterone... 

I mean, I read it. I was unimpressed. 
A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020 by David Sedaris

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

5.0

My goodness my gracious I fucking love this man. This selection of his diaries is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. His honesty and self reflection is startling. His ability to see the humor in the worst of us is admirable. I would read his filthy toilet paper if he'd let me. 
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Broke my heart... But then stitched it back together. Absolutely gorgeous and so very sad but also hopeful and real. 
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

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

4.5

Excellent. I hope Stacey Abrams keeps writing political legal thrillers, as she is certainly a modern heir to John Grisham. This is gritty, fast paced and, perhaps most importantly, believable! 

Well done. 
Paper Girls, Vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Outstanding
Paper Girls, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

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

4.5

Absolutely loved it. These girls are complete badasses. This story is a testament to the power of female friendship. It's also a badass scifi time travel story. The ending is perfect. The artwork is glorious. I'm a huge fan. 
Paper Girls, Book Two by Brian K. Vaughan

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

4.25

Bloody hell this is awesome! I love the sly 1980s, 1990s jokes; the incorporation of all weird parts of our current history. 

The girls are absolute badasses. (I have to admit, it's pretty feminist, so i wonder how it would've been different had it been created by women...) 

If you like time travel, adventure, hilariousness, and coming off age stories that are complicated by all the ages meeting each other, this rollicking time travel adventure is for you!  
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

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mysterious slow-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

3.75

I read this book as "homework" for my new job as a reference librarian. I spent most of my work hours with adults now rather than children. As it was with kids, it's a delight, but I feel woefully unprepared for their reading requests, particularly when it comes to popular mystery fiction. My boss assigned this to me, and I'm happy to say it was quite enjoyable. It's an excellent mystery, chock full of red herrings and interpersonal conflict. It's also mild in a pleasant way in that there's no sex and the love of the main character and his wife is too pure to be believed, except it's so lovely you do. 

Easy one to recommend to sometimes looking for a cozy murder mystery.