badspringbye's reviews
194 reviews

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

I think, the more anne meets new people the less I care about their roles in anne's life. overall, I noticed how I only liked the parts about flashbacks when anne was still young. really hoped it would feel good watching her grow but I guess I'll be stuck with the first book forever

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino

informative relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

interesting premise and beginning too, but the pace is way too slow for my liking, as well as the weak characterization and plotting. not for me or could have been better!

Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen

slow-paced

2.0

I wish the chapters were trimmed down because it's very practical to skip almost everything then read only the last five sentences and it would still be enough to sum up the entire thing

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

slow-paced

1.0

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

dnf at 80%. how did the author manage to make me feel like reading a typical YA contemporary (!! the slight romance. goodness.) on a middle grade book, I will never know

the boring crush scenes, silly classmate/friend fights and dramas, mc who restricts herself to a lot of things with no solid reasons, not just lame but literally no plot except the ill sibling... after reading tons of middle grade books last year I can assure you there's nothing special on this one

Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

resentment towards life, abhorrence of dealing with human beings, the feeling of alienation for being born in the world increasing day by day as you grow more and more lethargic over time — if you possess these contemplations, then the underground man definitely got your back. he's just as tired and pitiful as you are, and so he made up his mind to write down these notes with intent to get rid of it, and to serve as a reminder and acceptance for his own failures and shameful past, meant only for himself, and you.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

dark informative 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

2.0

it's hard for me to listen to audiobooks so I almost never do but the narrator of this book (the author herself) saved the whole thing. much entertaining than the story itself, gave life to the characters the way I couldn't read it the same way again after trying to read it with my own eyes. it's unfortunate since I liked the flow of Nao's side of story but it keeps on dragging because of Ruth's povs. could not care less about her and her husband and anything about her overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Xenophobia