nookandcrannyseattle's reviews
185 reviews

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Lives up to the hype!
Olivetti by Allie Millington

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Exceptional! One of the best middle grades I've read in recent years. It was clever and poignant and well-written. Sometimes I would forget it was a middle grade and its more immature moments would catch me off guard! My only complaint is mostly a general issue. I deeply hate the trope so common in kid's books (and other media) where every quiet, introverted, studious, or slightly awkward character MUST encounter a super outgoing character without whom they would never be able to solve their problems. And the moral always seems to be "break out of your shell!" instead of "respect people's boundaries!" Tl/Dr: Quinn is insufferable and needs to TAKE 👏 A 👏 SEAT👏
The Idiot by Elif Batuman

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.25

I don't always love bildungsromans, but I sure loved this one! It was smart and sympathetic and relatable. Selin is the kind of idiot every intelligent child is at 18 years old. I'm nervous to read the second book, but feeling fairly confident in Elif Batuman's excellent writing. And speaking of, I don't think I would want to listen to her read anything else, but her narration of this character, specifically, was spot on!
All This and More by Peng Shepherd

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
Awesome concept (I was so excited!), but mediocre writing and poor execution. Lots of continuity issues, which were fairly minor but glaring. I thought of powering through on the strength of the idea, but honestly I have SO much else to read. Why waste time?
Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
Listened to about 10 minutes before the terrible narrator did me in. I was so excited about this book, too! Seriously, where do they find these people?? I'll retry in print.
The Betrayed by Reine Arcache Melvin

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
The narrator is so bad, I finally couldn't bear it. The story was engaging though...I'll try it in print.
The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Mostly I'm just bored. Maybe it's the wrong time and I'll circle back later. I will say the world they are building has the potential to be interesting, but it is poorly developed and poorly explained.
The Hollow Beast by Christophe Bernard

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challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I'm sorry, I was actually on board for the first 550 pages. It was absolutely pandemonium, but a fun ride. But it's 2024 and we have moved beyond using rape as a punchline. Was there not a single person - editor, beta reader, SOMEone - who could have mentioned that was a bad idea?? It would have been so easy to just...not. I'm mad I wasted my time and positive energy.
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

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adventurous dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

So stinking good! There was a bit more suspension of disbelief required in this one than in the first (thus the missing half star), and I don't think this particular conceit will support a third book, so hopefully this is it for Ernest Cunningham. But it was SO enjoyable and I look forward to more from the author generally. Also, I'm constantly complaining about epilogues, but I gotta say that this one was MAGNIFICENT. The way I gasped in horror, then delight in such quick succession 😂😭
Kraken by China Miéville

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

5.0

It was completely unhinged and I loved every moment. I understand why it is "technically" classified as fantasy, but it doesn't feel much that way at all. Lots of scifi undertones, even though there's no science, really. (The Star Trek easter egg was a trip!) Lots of explicit horror elements. Cosmic, even, although the gods may or may not be real and/or alive. And yeah, urban fantasy, I see it. It was VERY London, like, a love letter to and the embodiment of the city, and I was fully on board!