book_eddy's reviews
221 reviews

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Lilies of the Field by William Edmund Barrett

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

4.0

Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans by Garrett Ryan

funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts, Henry Louis Gates Jr.

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Dragon's Tomb by D.J. Heinrich

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.75

Beloved by Toni Morrison

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An instant favorite. If you like Greek mythology, and ever wondered what the women in the stories were up to while the men were off on their ill-advised adventures, this is the book for you.  The book is named Elektra, but you'll see the events surrounding the Trojan war from the perspectives of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, as well as Elektra.

The only reason that I've dropped half a point is because someone who isn't familiar with the Trojan war may have a difficult time getting into it or even keeping all of the names straight in their heads.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, War

Airframe by Michael Crichton

adventurous informative tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Halfway through this read, I thought of putting it back down. The story took too long to get anywhere, and it did so through information dumps and the introduction of many half-developed characters (who mainly serve to dump more information). Yet, I persisted and kept reading. I was paid off with a few tense scenes that kept me interested for a few chapters, but the book slumped across the finish line.

The antagonists in this book feel like paper cut-outs of cartoon villains. They're never really developed, and their motives are only revealed towards the end of the book. The way they were described, I could imagine them plotting their evil schemes while cackling evilly while twiddling their curly mustaches. This manuscript should have been left in a drawer somewhere.

The book gave me the feeling that Crichton loved the aviation theme and that writing it was a way for him to indulge himself in jargon, talk of print-outs, videotapes, acronyms, and talking smack about the press. Even more so than usual.

I devour Crichton books, so admitting this felt wrong.  If you're thinking about reading any of his books, this should be near the bottom of your list.