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librarymouse's reviews
347 reviews
Letters from Bear by Gauthier David
lighthearted
medium-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
Letters from Bear is sweet, beautifully written and illustrated, and is a fun twist on the gift of a magi story. I want posters of the illustrations - especially the last one. They are gorgeous.
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
I've read this book twice now, and while The Higher Power of Lucky was published when I was a child, I've only ever read it as an adult. Lucky is a compelling character, as are Lincoln and Miles. Each character has interesting and unique quirks that make them feel like real and lovable children. Hard Pan, California - population 43 contains a cast of vibrant and interesting people and their equally interesting homes, and draws the reader in alongside Lucky as she navigates growing up and trying to find her higher power.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction
Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This book was a fine, but strange read. The author sometimes said things that felt a bit outlandish, and it occasionally read as a TED talk, but considering the publisher, I think it was on brand.
It's also a good reminder of the simultaneous wonder and horror that is globalization.
It's also a good reminder of the simultaneous wonder and horror that is globalization.
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery and Colonisation
Final Girls by Mira Grant
adventurous
dark
fast-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
3.5
This was thrilling, fast read. Jennifer and Esther are just as compelling characters as their adult selves at the start of the novel, as they are as their fictionalized teenage selves in the simulation. The part that unsettled me the most was the characters' continuation to be stuck as their false teenage selves at the end, smothering the remainder of the memories from their adult lives and real childhoods. Jennifer loses her adult self but gets to keep her reputation and company. Esther loses everything, including losing her dad again and losing the drive that the horrific circumstances of his original death had stoked for her to seek out pseudoscience and charlatans to debunk. Not my favorite Mira Grant book, but not a bad read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia
The Search for Belle Prater by Ruth White, Allison Elliott
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Search for Belle Prater is a good sequel to Belle Prater's Boy. It holds a special place in my heart because of when I read it that I don't think this book lives up to, but it was a good read, nonetheless. There is some problematic language used in this book, in an attempt to teach the difference between what the majority references a minority group as, versus what they self-identify with and prefer to be called. I enjoyed the circus elements at the end, and the way Ruth White shifted the magical elements away from the idea of place and onto the mentalities of the characters with Cassie's sixth sense and Belle believing she flew.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, and Grief
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is the third time I've read The Night Circus, and I love it just as much as I did when I read it for the first time a decade ago. The language is beautiful and the characters are so easy to love, flaws and all. With every read through, I see new details, understand innuendos I hadn't caught my first time around, and fall in love with the magic of the circus just as deeply. The moment I finished the book, I wanted to open it back up to the first page. I am a rêveur to my core, and as the name suggests, I dream of the circus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Body horror
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh by Joseph Conrad
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm rating this higher than I did last time around, but not by much. It's not my favorite book by a long shot, but after learning more about Joseph Conrad and writing about textile manufacturing practices contemporary to Conrad's writing of the book in how they relate to its content, I got a lot more out of it this time around.
It's a slow paced book, but time moves quickly for the characters.
It's a slow paced book, but time moves quickly for the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Cannibalism
The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In this wonderful addition to the Ghost Roads series, Seanan McGuire masterfully expands on the world building and the rules of being dead that she laid the groundwork for in Sparrow Hill Road. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown is more linear in its storytelling than its predecessor, but it's equally as interesting and funny. I really enjoyed the explanation of how some of the different types of ghosts are made and seeing how the customs and beliefs of different pantheons manifest themselves in the afterlife.
Seanan McGuire writes friendships so beautifully! Nobody in this series is a monolith unto themself. Everyone is loved and loves in return in a way that makes them stronger together - I guess with the exception of Bobby Cross, but he sucks, so that's okay. They're willing to be vulnerable and to make sacrifices both large and small for the sake of one another.
Laura's story coming full circle, allowing Tommy to do the same was one of the more fantastic aspects of this novel, especially coming after Laura's betrayal and then subsequent double cross of Bobby Cross as she dies. The relationship between Laura and Rose stays just as complicated as it's been from the start, but somehow they come to care for each other along the way.
The concept of this book - a murder mystery, but in reverse - is one of the funniest and most unique I've read recently. Read Sparrow Hill Road first, but then definitely read this book!
Seanan McGuire writes friendships so beautifully! Nobody in this series is a monolith unto themself. Everyone is loved and loves in return in a way that makes them stronger together - I guess with the exception of Bobby Cross, but he sucks, so that's okay. They're willing to be vulnerable and to make sacrifices both large and small for the sake of one another.
The concept of this book - a murder mystery, but in reverse - is one of the funniest and most unique I've read recently. Read Sparrow Hill Road first, but then definitely read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Terminal illness
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've loved a lot of Seanan McGuire books in the past, but this one might be my favorite to date. I really enjoyed that this book has a magic system with rules that the reader learns as the novel progresses and I adore Americana low fantasy. Ban sidhes who run diners, hitchhiking ghosts, and an appreciation for the parts of the US that exist between the cities made this a perfect read. I also have a car named Gary, which is a fun serendipity!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
Baker's Magic by Diane Zahler
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.0
This book is incredibly cute! I particularly enjoyed how the author used the ways that children live and think to get the characters out of sticky situations - a child hiding can be explained away as hide and seek. I adore the cast of characters and how Bee's magic is disseminated through what she bakes. Bee's description of a ham and cheese sandwich had me packing one for lunch every day for two weeks.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail