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sarahrhanks's reviews
54 reviews
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
2.5
I think the better format for this would be as a coffee table book that would better support the visuals as they’re described.
I found myself excitedly beginning this only to be met with dense text and a barrage of info that lasted at most four pages per color. It could be my own fault, and I’ll own up to that, but I found myself forgetting most of the information on each color after I began reading about the next. Perhaps this book would be better enjoyed with just one color a day? But even then I don’t think you’d get enough about each color’s history to make that worthwhile.
A neat idea, that is unfortunately not truly realized in this form.
Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Circe by Madeline Miller
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I adored the beginning of this book, I felt completely entranced in this world that Madeline Miller had created and I found Circe incredibly interesting. And then the story began to wain, but I was still decently entertained, until the story became about every man Circe encountered in her life and their stories began to eclipse hers.
The more I reflect on this story the more I’m baffled by how it’s regarded as a feminist text, when Circe’s life is effectively broken up only by her relationships with men, and that is never truly reckoned with in the text. There’s no commentary from Miller about what it means for a woman to only be deemed worthy through which men she can seduce (for lack of a better term) and to be judged as less worthy because she’s a woman. Every now and then there might be a stray comment, but no thread truly woven throughout the story.
I wanted to love this book, but I’m let down by a protagonist who didn’t truly feel like a protagonist and a story that didn’t seem to know what it wanted to say.
The more I reflect on this story the more I’m baffled by how it’s regarded as a feminist text, when Circe’s life is effectively broken up only by her relationships with men, and that is never truly reckoned with in the text. There’s no commentary from Miller about what it means for a woman to only be deemed worthy through which men she can seduce (for lack of a better term) and to be judged as less worthy because she’s a woman. Every now and then there might be a stray comment, but no thread truly woven throughout the story.
I wanted to love this book, but I’m let down by a protagonist who didn’t truly feel like a protagonist and a story that didn’t seem to know what it wanted to say.
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Never before in history has someone been obsessed with ankle boots as much as the main character of this book.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I adored Madeline Miller's writing style, but I couldn't find myself truly believing in the connection between Patroclus and Achilles. Neither character felt truly fleshed out for a majority of the book and so I felt I was left reading beautiful prose without heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Dances by Nicole Cuffy
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
3.75
I enjoyed this novel, but I did find the story to meander a bit too much in a way that felt unfocused at points.
I enjoyed Cuffy’s writing style a lot however and I look forward to her next books, since I think most of my issues with this one lie in it being her debut.
I enjoyed Cuffy’s writing style a lot however and I look forward to her next books, since I think most of my issues with this one lie in it being her debut.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
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? Yes
4.0