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lochanreads's reviews
309 reviews
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
A boldly revealing and vulnerable perspective on gender identity. It pointedly illustrates the issues and confusion of growing up, navigating adolescence and articulating one's experience, as an individual existing on the outside of the gender binary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Bullying
Flock Together: Outsiders: Connecting People of Color to Nature by Ollie Olanipekun, Nadeem Perera
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
I loved reading this! It's so immersive and vivid and there's lots of character diversity and growth. Hananae took some warming up to but the conflict, the romance, the action, and the world-building was so absorbing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A super quick, light graphic novel that celebrates the beauty of black women's hair through the touching friendship of four friends. I loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
The Little Book of Hygge (Hooga) is a good-natured, fuzzy socks and hot chocolate non-fiction read about finding happiness in life's simple pleasures and establishing close relationships. It has a warmly positive ethos, beautiful photography and some delicious sounding recipes. It's a breeze of a read, written in a cool and casual way. It felt a tad on the repetitive side for me as things progressed with the same tips being shared on several occasions but I couldn't fault it for its comfy and cosy feel.
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Black and British was a huge undertaking, a book it took me over 2 months to read! But in the end, I’m so glad I committed to finishing it and I believe it to be successful in its aim of reinforcing the narrative that Black British history is a significant part of our national heritage and it is a history that concerns all of us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I'm so glad I read this book! It's so motivating and it compels you to act. I loved the well-thought structure of the book, the visual aids and the short chapters. My enjoyment started to stagnate and then decline towards the end because I think the little lessons bit could've been weaved into the main text but other than that, Atomic Habits is a book that would recommend to everyone.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
The suble art of not giving a f*ck is a quippy, down-to-earth, self-improvement book about developing strong values that help us determine what's truly important in life and therefore what is worthy of our f*cks. It makes some solid points about embracing mediocrity, and changing how we interpret bad moments in our life, but I felt like it lacked a layer of specificity and made lots of broad, blanket statements about how to solve life's problems. The author presents his arguements as one-size-fits-all solutions, which I found irksome. It was an engaging read but it did have me raising my eyebrows on several occasions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles, Héctor García Puigcerver
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Ikigai is a self-improvement book with a really inspiring message about finding purpose in life, health and well-being and spirituality. It carries a lot of influence and will definitely leave a lasting impression on your general outlook towards the rest of your life. Unfortunately the compound message of the book didn't always feel cohesive to me but I still really enjoyed it. It's an accessible, user-friendly read that I completed in a day.
My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An easily accessible and tense thriller
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence