takecoverbooks's reviews
177 reviews

The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism by George Monbiot, Peter Hutchison

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

If you read The Invisible Doctrine alongside Neoliberalism: a Brief History, you could consider yourself well-versed on the horrifying system that governs our economy, politics, society, and natural world. It’s eye opening, maddening, and essential reading.
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The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Disobedience by Daniel Sarah Karasik

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challenging emotional inspiring 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

5.0

This was the book I didn’t know I needed. Daniel Sarah Karasik, in the guise of a dystopia, tells a story of such profound feeling about identity, love, socialist strategy, dialectical thinking, and the unending struggle for liberation. In some ways, Disobedience is shockingly bleak, its post apocalyptic setting equal parts Canticle for Liebowitz and Camp Concentration. And yet, despite the unrelenting darkness of its setting, the novel contains inspiring moments of hope that normally are absent from this subgenre. It won’t be for everyone, but I urge anyone curious to give it a shot. This will certainly be a Best Book of the Year for me.
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A Ghost In The Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

Come Closer by Sara Gran

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Come Closer is a deeply unsettling book that not only convincingly captures the horror of demonic possession but also provides an alarming analysis of how quickly intimate relationships can fall apart as we become more alienated and more fragmented in our thought processes. Despite the potent metaphor at the core of the book, it’s also a damn good horror story that will leave you unsettled and more than a little unsure of your own sanity.
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A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck

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challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson

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informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

A fast-paced and intense recounting of the lead up to the US Civil War. This isn’t mind-blowing, but it is engrossing. 
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The Skunks by Fiona Warnick

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A Zoomer Less than Zero with more charm but less impact. Warnick is a decent writer but the whole thing feels very ripped-from-the-feed. It’s not bad if you’re an avid reader of this post-graduation aimlessness vibe, but it’s pretty cloying and chaste in parts. You’re better off reading The First Bad Man or Mysteries of Pittsburgh. 
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Negative Space by B.R. Yeager

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A plotless exploration of dark magic, depression, teen angst, sexual awakening, and alternate dimensions. It’ll test your patience, but the ending makes it (mostly) worth it.
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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

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challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-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

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