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rcsreads's reviews
720 reviews
October, October by Katya Balen
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
This was very cute and I regretted finishing it in public because I wanted to cry! I loved October and her voyage of self discovery and I liked how her arc tied into Stig the owl's story too.
I was also a big fan of all the mud larking chat and want to go to the museum. (Is the museum real? Has anyone been?)
I borrowed this one from the library and I'm going to renew it so I can read it to Fox and Tabitha.
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I did have a few problems/questions but they were all geographical or economical and it's a kids book and they're things I wouldn't have thought about as a child so I forgive them. But seriously where was her dad getting money and where was this huge, remote woodland within a short drive from London that no one ever even walked their dog in?
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I was also a big fan of all the mud larking chat and want to go to the museum. (Is the museum real? Has anyone been?)
I borrowed this one from the library and I'm going to renew it so I can read it to Fox and Tabitha.
.
I did have a few problems/questions but they were all geographical or economical and it's a kids book and they're things I wouldn't have thought about as a child so I forgive them. But seriously where was her dad getting money and where was this huge, remote woodland within a short drive from London that no one ever even walked their dog in?
.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
2.75
This was one of those books where when I put it down I didn't really care enough to pick it up again. I was basically just reading it at bedtime so that it would end.
The pace is too slow and if you're going to be an unreliable narrator at least try to trick me into liking you or caring at all about what happens to you.
Also, the ending was too ambiguous and left to many questions that didn't make a lot of sense.
It was alright, I guess. Meh!
The pace is too slow and if you're going to be an unreliable narrator at least try to trick me into liking you or caring at all about what happens to you.
Also, the ending was too ambiguous and left to many questions that didn't make a lot of sense.
It was alright, I guess. Meh!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Mental illness, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death and Death of parent
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was a little disappointing but it was mainly the publishers fault rather than the book. If you use both the words "terror" and "terrifying" on the back of the book people are going to expect scary stories. There's not any. Also, bigging up the titular story and then putting it last means by the time you get to it it's going to be disappointing.
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I did like Jackson's writing style though and once I shifted my expectations away from horror and more towards depressed, suburban housewives I enjoyed the stories more. My favourites were "Charles" (hard relate 🤣) and "Pillar of Salt".
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I did like Jackson's writing style though and once I shifted my expectations away from horror and more towards depressed, suburban housewives I enjoyed the stories more. My favourites were "Charles" (hard relate 🤣) and "Pillar of Salt".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I need to DNF this book because it's giving me the rage to the point where my notes are chocka with the F word and exclamation points!
The writer is Irish but has clearly never set foot in Scotland or even seen a map!
If you're going to set a book on an island don't pick the one bit of coast where there aren't any! The Black Isle isn't an island and the ferry from Cromarty goes to Nigg which also isn't an island. Is this lighthouse on an oil rig??
Also, why is this man randomly sailing to Shetland? It would take days!
Also, a grimoire is not a diary!
The hills of the Highlands are not Emerald. Nor is the fucking North Sea! Has this woman ever even seen a picture of Scotland????
The kid from Glasgow had never seen fucking trees before? The city famous for its greenery???? Also, the kid from York is surprised by the existence of rain! It's always raining in York. It's not like she's moved from California.
This is my anger level after less than 100 pages. I haven't even started on the missing person part where they don't seem to have kept any records of dates apart from the kids date of birth and we can just say "oh no that's wrong, give me this child who doesn't recognise me". Excellent job police and social workers!
Aaaaaagh!
The writer is Irish but has clearly never set foot in Scotland or even seen a map!
If you're going to set a book on an island don't pick the one bit of coast where there aren't any! The Black Isle isn't an island and the ferry from Cromarty goes to Nigg which also isn't an island. Is this lighthouse on an oil rig??
Also, why is this man randomly sailing to Shetland? It would take days!
Also, a grimoire is not a diary!
The hills of the Highlands are not Emerald. Nor is the fucking North Sea! Has this woman ever even seen a picture of Scotland????
The kid from Glasgow had never seen fucking trees before? The city famous for its greenery???? Also, the kid from York is surprised by the existence of rain! It's always raining in York. It's not like she's moved from California.
This is my anger level after less than 100 pages. I haven't even started on the missing person part where they don't seem to have kept any records of dates apart from the kids date of birth and we can just say "oh no that's wrong, give me this child who doesn't recognise me". Excellent job police and social workers!
Aaaaaagh!
Thomas the Tank Engine by W. Awdry
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Love by Angela Carter
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was weird! Carter's writing is very atmospheric and the tension is palpable from the first line. Following the life of Lee, his brother Buzz and his wife Annabel, who all live together in a faintly incestuous feeling love triangle where everyone really needs to go to therapy.
The toxicity of every relationship any of them have and the descent into, or through, madness they each traverse is all beautifully written. It manages to be unputdownable while making you feel icky at the same time.
Also, I was amused by the coupling of Annabel & Lee for a little romantic Poe reference!
The toxicity of every relationship any of them have and the descent into, or through, madness they each traverse is all beautifully written. It manages to be unputdownable while making you feel icky at the same time.
Also, I was amused by the coupling of Annabel & Lee for a little romantic Poe reference!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Cherie Priest is one of my auto buy authors so I hadn't even looked at the synopsis for this before starting. There's a psychic travel agent and a cop, who in my head looks like Bruce Willis, teeming up to fight crime. It was a lot of fun and had serious early 2000's TV show vibes.
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The second book is out in time for my birthday so Will has orderedit me because now that hardbacks all cost £25 I can never afford one again! Although the last one took about 6 months to arrive. Why is it so hard to get Priest books in the UK?
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The second book is out in time for my birthday so Will has orderedit me because now that hardbacks all cost £25 I can never afford one again! Although the last one took about 6 months to arrive. Why is it so hard to get Priest books in the UK?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Car accident
The Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
"Did I believe that God would answer my prayer? Yes, I knew he would. Not because I believed in God, but because I knew that God believed in foxes."
.
Obviously I'm a fan of foxes, I named my child after one, so I couldn't resist this nature memoir. Catherine Raven is a scientist and knows that you should never anthropomorphisise animals but then a Fox befriends her and we discover that sometimes science doesn't know everything! This was a beautiful account of living in the wilderness and figuring out what you want and need from your life.
Occasionally I'd wonder if maybe Raven is neurodivergent as it read a bit like a conversation with my Fox when he needs to tell me all the information he has about his current fixation! Plus, Fox also doesn't know how all those stones got into his pockets!
.
I've read a few of these nature based memoirs recently and this is one of the better ones. Raven's life is so entrenched in her environment and with her animal neighbours that the human life and the nature facts never felt like separate narratives.
.
Obviously it's nature, and some of the neighbours you've grown to love through the story will be eaten, so trigger warning for sudden innards!
.
Obviously I'm a fan of foxes, I named my child after one, so I couldn't resist this nature memoir. Catherine Raven is a scientist and knows that you should never anthropomorphisise animals but then a Fox befriends her and we discover that sometimes science doesn't know everything! This was a beautiful account of living in the wilderness and figuring out what you want and need from your life.
Occasionally I'd wonder if maybe Raven is neurodivergent as it read a bit like a conversation with my Fox when he needs to tell me all the information he has about his current fixation! Plus, Fox also doesn't know how all those stones got into his pockets!
.
I've read a few of these nature based memoirs recently and this is one of the better ones. Raven's life is so entrenched in her environment and with her animal neighbours that the human life and the nature facts never felt like separate narratives.
.
Obviously it's nature, and some of the neighbours you've grown to love through the story will be eaten, so trigger warning for sudden innards!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was like a little mental health parable to teach the children to discuss their emotions before they get out of hand. It's also an excellent fantasy story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail