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toastyghosty13's reviews
136 reviews
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
4.0
I really liked the characters in this book, they all have their own unique personalities and whimsy. Takako goes through a rough patch with her boyfriend, who has been seeing someone else at the same time and is planning on marrying the other woman. He breaks up with Takako and she falls into a pit of despair. Her uncle Satoru calls her up and offers to have her work at his bookshop with him. What starts as a partially begrudging family reunion blossoms into a journey of Takako finding herself and the inner courage to stand up for herself.
While her love for her uncle and his book shop grow, Takako meets others that are living and working in the neighborhood. She makes friendships that last a lifetime and has a therapeutic experience, while also helping her uncle through his own similar experience.
I really liked this book as a light read. It is short, but does not lack in content or passion by any means. If anything, it made me want to open up my own used book store. This book was a joy to read, and I will be reading the 2nd book sometime in the future.
While her love for her uncle and his book shop grow, Takako meets others that are living and working in the neighborhood. She makes friendships that last a lifetime and has a therapeutic experience, while also helping her uncle through his own similar experience.
I really liked this book as a light read. It is short, but does not lack in content or passion by any means. If anything, it made me want to open up my own used book store. This book was a joy to read, and I will be reading the 2nd book sometime in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Infertility, and Abortion
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really interesting book where people can enter a cafe and travel back in time. There are some rules that go with the time traveling, but it still does not stop the characters from having meaningful exchanges with whoever they see while time traveling.
At the risk of spoiling too much, it is best to not know much about this book besides the above when going into it. This book was very inspiring and very emotional. I do not recommend reading it between work meetings like I did, or you very well might find yourself ugly crying 10 minutes before a meeting (also like I did, thankfully no one showed up to the meeting).
This book is part of a series and I will definitely be revisiting in the future.
At the risk of spoiling too much, it is best to not know much about this book besides the above when going into it. This book was very inspiring and very emotional. I do not recommend reading it between work meetings like I did, or you very well might find yourself ugly crying 10 minutes before a meeting (also like I did, thankfully no one showed up to the meeting).
This book is part of a series and I will definitely be revisiting in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
I read this book as a kid and loved it. I completely forgot everything about it besides some key points, and I am glad I found it on Everand to read again. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator does a great job.
I thoroughly enjoyed Katsa as a main character. I hope that there is more of her in the following books, since I know that they follow other characters for the most part.
Katsa and Poe were a lot of fun to read about and I loved their adventures. I will probably buy this as a physical copy and revisit the print version sometime soon. Read this if you like books about cool assassin girlies that have a good group of friends that make up a great found family.
I thoroughly enjoyed Katsa as a main character. I hope that there is more of her in the following books, since I know that they follow other characters for the most part.
Katsa and Poe were a lot of fun to read about and I loved their adventures. I will probably buy this as a physical copy and revisit the print version sometime soon. Read this if you like books about cool assassin girlies that have a good group of friends that make up a great found family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.25
This book was exceptionally dark. I thought I had an idea of what might happen in this book based on a different book I read by the same author (A Study in Drowning) and was still surprised. This book follows Marlinchen, the youngest of 3 girls in a family with a widower. She repeatedly draws the short end of the stick on everything from looks, social skills, chores throughout the house, and treatment from her father and sisters. Their mother is no longer with them and she does her best to enjoy life while being the daughter of an abusive father, the famed last wizard in the town they live in and who has also been cursed by a witch whose livelihood he ruined.
Marlinchen entertains her sisters' midnight shenanigans of sneaking out to see the ballet and she falls in love with the dancing, and more specifically the leading man dancing in it.
This goes on to be a story of betrayal and finding love in even the darkest of places. It is a very dark story that made it difficult to get through sometimes, but still was very satisfying to read. I recommend to anyone that likes dark books and characters who have all the odds stacked against them.
Marlinchen entertains her sisters' midnight shenanigans of sneaking out to see the ballet and she falls in love with the dancing, and more specifically the leading man dancing in it.
This goes on to be a story of betrayal and finding love in even the darkest of places. It is a very dark story that made it difficult to get through sometimes, but still was very satisfying to read. I recommend to anyone that likes dark books and characters who have all the odds stacked against them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, and Death of parent
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
I love reading about Geralt and his adventures with friends. I did find this book to be not as good as the prequel books, but it was still highly enjoyable. I think this was because it went from short story format in the prequels where each chapter had its own fun adventure to one overarching plot that was filled with political intrigue and war. I still enjoyed this book a lot and am very excited to read the rest of the series, especially because I have an illustrated version of it. Highly recommend to anyone that likes fantasy and adventure. The dynamics between Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer and other characters are a joy to read and provide a lighthearted shit eating grin humor between darker themes of eradicating the elves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Physics of Baseball, The by Robert K. Adair, Robert K. Adair
informative
slow-paced
3.0
This was a cool book to read to learn more about the background of how to min max a baseball bat swing. I am trying to get into baseball more because my fiance is an avid fan and I do enjoy going to the games, but I was curious about what made a hit better than another, a pitch harder to track than a different type of pitcher throw.
Although my copy of this book was barely 100 pages long, it still felt very long to read. This was expected since the first bit of the book talks about how it is a formal physics paper but put into book format. I did find that it helped to give me a better idea of how this game ticks. It seems to be that there is a plethora of variables that factor into how a player can maximize ball hit distance and direction. Some of these factors include temperature outside, temperature of the ball, type of wood used in the bat, length of the bat, where the player holds the bat (i.e. choke), altitude of the stadium, and more. I did find this book to be very informative, however it is incredibly dry (though has some good bits of humor sprinkled in since it is a passion project). Would recommend to any baseball fan that also has an interest in physics.
Although my copy of this book was barely 100 pages long, it still felt very long to read. This was expected since the first bit of the book talks about how it is a formal physics paper but put into book format. I did find that it helped to give me a better idea of how this game ticks. It seems to be that there is a plethora of variables that factor into how a player can maximize ball hit distance and direction. Some of these factors include temperature outside, temperature of the ball, type of wood used in the bat, length of the bat, where the player holds the bat (i.e. choke), altitude of the stadium, and more. I did find this book to be very informative, however it is incredibly dry (though has some good bits of humor sprinkled in since it is a passion project). Would recommend to any baseball fan that also has an interest in physics.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
This book was very dark, much darker than I expected. I really enjoyed the themes of old, dark, salty, small town that had a mysterious presence in an old manner on top of a cliff. The main character Effie has a difficult life being the only woman in the architectural college. She desperately wants to be a literature student, but women are not admitted to the literature college. She has a love for a mysterious author who has recently passed and whose family is holding a competition to redesign his manor. She excitedly submits an entry for the competition and is chosen.
Effie embarks on a journey to the manor and learns things about the town and the late author’s family who have been left behind. The characters Effie meets have dark past themselves; each character is their own mystery.
The concept of the fairy king was dark and had a nice air of mystery that kept me engaged between the shittiness that Effie experienced from less metaphorical characters . This book gave me a true appreciation for the author Ava Reid and I am excited to read her other works. She explores themes of darkness like this well. I found this book somehow simultaneously awful and comfy cozy; it made me want to curl up on the couch cup of tea. It is reminiscent of old Grimm fairytales.
Effie embarks on a journey to the manor and learns things about the town and the late author’s family who have been left behind. The characters Effie meets have dark past themselves; each character is their own mystery.
The concept of the fairy king was dark and had a nice air of mystery that kept me engaged between the shittiness that Effie experienced from less metaphorical characters . This book gave me a true appreciation for the author Ava Reid and I am excited to read her other works. She explores themes of darkness like this well. I found this book somehow simultaneously awful and comfy cozy; it made me want to curl up on the couch cup of tea. It is reminiscent of old Grimm fairytales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
still was pretty cute, i would probably recommend to my friends who enjoy modern romances.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i received this as an ARC from NetGalley.
this was a modern romance about a woman, Alison, who lives in minnesota and finds out her ex boyfriend has died. upon arriving at his funeral, she quickly realizes he never told anyone that he broke up with her, and so they all assume she is still currently his girlfriend. she meets his attractive harrison ford-esque best friend, and they are subsequently stuck together each weekend emptying out their late friends condo so it can be put back on the market.
this was pretty run of the mill modern romance, although i did like how it took place in the midwest. the first 50% of the book was a bit boring for me, but the premise was there and unique. i also mainly read fantasy so i feel like i have some bias there when it comes to this genre. about 50% of the way through, the 2 main characters get together for the first time. it felt a little bit rushed to me to suddenly have this man so worried about Ali but maybe that’s because i read the 2nd half of this book in 1 4hr sitting.
some things that i noted:
this was a modern romance about a woman, Alison, who lives in minnesota and finds out her ex boyfriend has died. upon arriving at his funeral, she quickly realizes he never told anyone that he broke up with her, and so they all assume she is still currently his girlfriend. she meets his attractive harrison ford-esque best friend, and they are subsequently stuck together each weekend emptying out their late friends condo so it can be put back on the market.
this was pretty run of the mill modern romance, although i did like how it took place in the midwest. the first 50% of the book was a bit boring for me, but the premise was there and unique. i also mainly read fantasy so i feel like i have some bias there when it comes to this genre. about 50% of the way through,
some things that i noted:
the new years text from the future thing was my immediate prediction of what would happen as soon as adam mentioned how sam wanted to set him up with a girl that would be perfect for him at a NYE party - too much “our foreheads touched” idk that’s cringe to me but subjective
- wasn’t smut like i thought it was going to be, very much behind closed doors/only talking about the make outs. my anticipation is based on what i hear about other modern romances and the ~3 books i have read (icebreaker series, butcher & blackbird)
i found the main conflict of people getting mad at Ali for trying to do things that “weren’t really her” to be a bit annoying and stupid. who cares if it’s not in character for her to sign up for an ultramarathon or take a hiking/camping trip through patagonia?? let her live her life and discover that she hates that on her own. i could understand if it’s an intervention because she is financially unstable or something health related but it really just boiled down to adam and her friends disliking that it wasn’t who she is at her core. people can discover likes and dislikes throughout their lives, felt kind of like a baseless conflict. i was expecting much more conflict from her pretending to be sam’s current gf
still was pretty cute, i would probably recommend to my friends who enjoy modern romances.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death
Dragon Den by Kriss Dean
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I got this as an ARC from NetGalley.
I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise that it is How to Train Your Dragon mixed with Fourth Wing. I do not feel like it properly lived up to that hype, and I wish it did. I think at a base level the idea was there, but that it almost went too quick to properly form an attachment to any of the characters. I think the idea of post modern dragon air force is cool, but there was not enough meaningful world building to really get me hooked.
The book takes place in/around Seattle, WA and the characters go to a school for dragon riding similar to Basgiath in Fourth Wing. The main character Markus has failed to "break a dragon" and must pack his bags and leave until one of his superior officers offers him the chance for redemption: to use a dragon whose rider was recently murdered and catch whoever has been hijacking the obsidian shipments.
This book was supposedly 180 pages, but I think it was more like 360 since it def felt longer. Ironically, I think it could have used more world building and probably less of the small things like being in class that don't matter as much. There were some cool aspects like gong to Amira's family dinner to talk to her mobster dad that I wish were explored more if Markus was supposed to be a double agent. Instead, we got capture the flag and other games that I feel like did not add much value for the worldbuilding or for creating attachments to the side characters. There was even a romance that I felt was a bit rushed, from classmates to full on banging.
The book ends in a way that sets it up for a sequel. I think that the concept is there and could be another great dragon read, but it definitely needs a bit of work.
I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise that it is How to Train Your Dragon mixed with Fourth Wing. I do not feel like it properly lived up to that hype, and I wish it did. I think at a base level the idea was there, but that it almost went too quick to properly form an attachment to any of the characters. I think the idea of post modern dragon air force is cool, but there was not enough meaningful world building to really get me hooked.
The book takes place in/around Seattle, WA and the characters go to a school for dragon riding similar to Basgiath in Fourth Wing. The main character Markus has failed to "break a dragon" and must pack his bags and leave until one of his superior officers offers him the chance for redemption: to use a dragon whose rider was recently murdered and catch whoever has been hijacking the obsidian shipments.
This book was supposedly 180 pages, but I think it was more like 360 since it def felt longer. Ironically, I think it could have used more world building and probably less of the small things like being in class that don't matter as much. There were some cool aspects like
The book ends in a way that sets it up for a sequel. I think that the concept is there and could be another great dragon read, but it definitely needs a bit of work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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 really enjoyed reading this book because it was a way to show how the most unlikely of methods could help you to have a better outlook on life. This book was emotional, but has at least one thing throughout all of the stories that I think any reader could relate to. This was a pretty quick read and each story left me feeling inspired. It was a good feel good book.
The only thing that felt off for me was how a lot of the characters talked about the librarian. The way they talked or thought about her was kind of gross, especially when she basically helped them turn their lives around.
The only thing that felt off for me was how a lot of the characters talked about the librarian. The way they talked or thought about her was kind of gross, especially when she basically helped them turn their lives around.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia