bookishbeanbag's reviews
54 reviews

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.0

Great book for first time readers of self help. 

The Inadequate Heir by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Love Keris and love his mind. Great storytelling and lots of politics. I enjoyed how morally sound Zarrah was. It was refreshing to read about a character knowing she wasn’t likely to do something stupid 😅. Overall, great. The Traitor Queen is still my favourite in the series though. Will see how the 4th book goes, I’ve already preordered it 😄

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I finished this book two days ago and have been trying to find the right words to describe the experience I had reading it. The word I have come up with is “Open”.

I can see why this 2005 book sold over 5 million copies with its original themes and unique perspectives. 

Eckhart Tolle formats the book into bite sized chapters with thought provoking statements. He talks about how our ego can change our reality and our perception of our reality. Overall, the book has created an “openness” within me to see the world through eyes that are not just my own. I will probably read it again.

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

I read this slowly so that I could absorb and digest this books wisdom. It was an interesting perspective and although there were some powerful lessons, there were also statements that I didn’t agree with.

I think this book is good if you are trying to disrupt negative thinking patterns. It’s an easy read with a lot of metaphors. If you enjoy examples and storytelling, and want some guidance on appreciation, this is worth the read.

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

reflective slow-paced

3.0

This book has a great opening paragraph and I found the first couple of chapters insightful and interesting. I even thought I was reading a book that might get 5 stars but unfortunately as the book progressed and we passed the halfway mark, it started to feel a bit monotonous. I didn’t enjoy the tone of voice and I didn’t really like where the book was going so I did not finish it. I wish the author had just stopped the book halfway. It feels like he was trying to find stories to tell and essentially share how wise and religious his advice is. Unfortunately, I won’t read this book again.

The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Unfortunately I DNF this a couple of chapters in. I know I am supposed to love this book but honestly I really didn’t enjoy the author using the book to promote his own “cleverness”. I found the tone of voice a bit arrogant and maybe I will retry it again someday but not anytime soon. Also, am I wrong in saying most of his statements were obvious? I didn’t learn anything but maybe I didn’t read further enough…

Eidolon by Grace Draven

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book gave me so many feels! It was the perfect combination of fantasy, romance and drama. I really enjoyed it! If you enjoyed book 1, “Radiance”, then you have to read this! 

The plot darker and the emotions are more raw. I grew to love the characters even more than I did in the first book. I am so looking forward to reading book 3, “The Ippos King”, I have a soft spot for those two.

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

So first, this book was written in 1926, using stories set 4000 years ago in ancient Babylon. No one has been able to confirm if these stories are based on true resources. 

With an aged book like this you will find triggering, offensive and outdated terminology so I think it’s important to know that you are reading a book from 1926. 

I struggled to read the book because of the triggering vocabulary but I read it till the end because it is supposed to be a “classic” and I can see why the book gained fame. 

The book is essentially a guide to accumulating and managing your money. It talks about how you should “pay yourself first” and the stories consist of things like “7 Cures for a Lean Purse” and “The Five Laws of Gold”. 

It’s informative and interesting but I looked around and found there are multiple summaries online so based on the outdated writing I would suggest you read those instead of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Slavery, and Trafficking

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

I really enjoyed this macabre adult romance! It was so different from anything I have read before. You’ve Got Mail meets The Walking Dead, this was so interesting! I grew to love the characters and the plot was ever evolving. I love Hart and Mercy. I found both of them very relatable!