brookegabor's reviews
216 reviews

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

mysterious slow-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

0.25

there are not enough words in the english dictionary to describe how much i hated this book. 

the first 3 books in the series were not great but at least i could look past the subtle fatphobia since it was easy to listen to at work and the mystery was interesting.

this book, on the other hand, was blatantly ableist, fatphobic, racist, anti-woke (?) and was all around just an uncomfortable read. half of the book was about how hannah needed to diet to fit into her new pants which (spoiler: didn’t even belong to her!!!) and the other half was a lackluster and predictable murder mystery.

with the way the author wrote jed and freddy’s characters, it was incredibly obvious from the second they were introduced that jed was the killer and freddy would be harmed. what made me especially uncomfortable was the way the narrator voiced freddy’s character. terrible terrible terrible.

i might pick up the 5th book to see if it’s as bad as this or if it goes back to normal levels of bad. otherwise this may be my official farewell to the hannah swensen series 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Racism

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, and Alcohol

says the r-slur SO many times it’s ridiculous

Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

this was my least favorite of the 3 i’ve read so far. i will say that no matter what happens, hannah’s mom having the same bit of dialogue when she finds out hannah found another body will always make me laugh 

A Book of Days by Patti Smith

reflective slow-paced

i’m not sure how to rate this one so i probably won’t. i will say i will read anything patti smith writes. this book both made me laugh and tear up. while the specific contents of the book probably won’t stick with me, the idea behind it and the way she reflects one her own life and inspirations within it have already started to impact the way i think about my own life and probably will for the foreseeable future. can’t wait to read more of her work :)

Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

adventurous mysterious medium-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

2.5

i didn’t like this one as much as the last. i am usually the WORST at predicting things but that was not the case with this book.

i was listening to this audiobook while working and was able to predict both the second death (can’t remember the characters name) and that mason was the killer far before it was revealed. maybe that’s because the format is the same as the first book? death, second death, reveal? either way was slightly disappointed

Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.0

this one was a little less good than the last but still very funny. wallace is still my fav 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by Bryan Lee O'Malley

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.5

wallace wells you will always be famous

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

this book hit exactly the spot i needed it to, and i actually liked it a lot more than i expected to ! it’s definitely a little dated and weirdly fatphobic? but the mystery was exciting as someone who usually doesn’t read this genre. will prob listen to the other audiobooks in this series that are available thru my library :) 

Dream Work by Mary Oliver

inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

i think this stanza from The Moths perfectly sums up what this collection is all about:

“You aren’t much, I said
one day to my reflection
in a green pond,
and grinned.” (78)

my fav poems were Wild Geese, Members of the Tribe, The Journey, The Turtle, and The Moths

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

i loved breakfast at tiffany’s, but i loved a diamond guitar and a christmas memory even more. i’ve never been touched by a short story like i was with those two pieces and it even made me sob at my kitchen table LMAO i would recommend this book even if just for those two short stories

knocking off a quarter star though for house of flowers. maybe i need to reread but i didn’t connect or feel engaged with that story at ALL compared to how i usually connect with capotes writing

Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith

reflective slow-paced

4.5

patti smith always has such a way of bringing you into her world, and this book brings you in and out of her dreamlike reality during the year of the monkey in 2016 where she was dealing with personal grief as well as external stressors, especially the political landscape in the u.s. 

the only reason i knocked off a half star is that there were about 45 minutes or so at the end of the book where she talked about life during the pandemic, but i feel like it didn’t need that. it was still great, but would serve better as a separate piece of writing where she could go more in depth rather than an epilogue at the end of a book about her life in 2016.