bencaroline's reviews
55 reviews

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, War, Self harm, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

Brainscapes: The Warped, Wondrous Maps Written in Your Brain--And How They Guide You by Rebecca Schwarzlose

informative inspiring

4.5

This book brought me to philosophical exploration way more than I could have anticipated. The brain is everything!

Another reviewer said that it might not be suitable for someone unfamiliar with psychology. I do not have an objective point of view here, as I did take psych in high school and I'm generally familiar with more academic writing, and the types of studies described in the book. However, I'm inclined to disagree with that reviewer's opinion--I thought Brainscapes was remarkably easy to read. The prose is accessible, and points are sufficiently reiterated for my distractible brain. Regardless of your background, if you are curious about the ways we perceive, learn, and interact with the world around us, I recommend giving this book a try.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Chronic illness

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, War, Ableism, and Mental illness

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

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

4.5

American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics by Kevin Hazzard

hopeful informative reflective sad

5.0

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Suicide, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Antisemitism

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans and Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff

informative inspiring reflective

5.0

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Violence, Murder, and Body shaming

Moderate: Blood, Ableism, Alcohol, and Suicide

There There by Tommy Orange

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Cursing, Outing, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Biphobia, Colonisation, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Terminal illness

Milo and Marcos at the End of the World by Kevin Christopher Snipes

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Hate crime, Medical content, Racism, and Sexual content

natural disasters