callme_tippy's reviews
185 reviews

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

I loved watching Laure decend into a more wicked person with each chapter as the world around her continued to belittle and cast her aside, however I can't give this 5 stars as I wish the climax of the book was more gritty. I hated how weak Laure was in the climax, I wanted her to fully become the beast, but I guess I understand why she couldn't considering who she was facing off against. I will definitely be on the look out for any other work by this author! 

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted medium-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

4.0

Super cute easy read! 
I enjoyed the characters in this one and loved that it was nice easy read with a plot that kept me interested.

Teaching While Black in New York City's Public Schools by Pamela Lewis

informative inspiring slow-paced

2.5

This book is listed as a memoir, but it reads very weird. 
It is very conversational and meanders from thought to thought with out much continuity. 
There is not any concrete statistics backing up much of what is discussed dispite the cover alluding to a study done on children. Not that much of the information is untrue, but I would have enjoyed some statistics to back it up. 

I would have enjoyed this book alot more had it not been a memoir and if it was just a case study. It just reads very weirdly and semi-self centered. 

This also has the longest chapters i have eveb seen in a book, it definitely needed more chapters to break it up or at the very least parts within the chapter. 

Not my favorite memoir, it feels more like the initial rough draft of just getting ideas down instead of a fully fleshed out memoir. It really would have benefitted from a heavy edit and review process. 😬😬

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.

Written very well but I wish there weren't so many points of view. The amount of hate I have for majority of these characters is astronomical. I think it is an important story to be told but I cannot finish the book. 
I wish we only had Samuel & Isaiah point of view. 

Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.5

This was a delightful read, I enjoyed the realistic characters and their portrayals as well as the choice to have the book be told through diary entries. 

Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny by Mark Stavish

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

Informative. Could have been more clear at times which is an issue I have with some esoteric texts, especially more modern ones. 

As this book was written and published within the past 10 years I would expect an easier flow of words or atleast a summary of the more "difficult" sections in layman's terms. 

Overall, I enjoyed the information in this book. But I think it could have done without like 1/3 of the text and could have been replaced with better explanations. 

Necessary Rebirths: A Collection of Poems + Prose for Awakening by Nicole M. Long

inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.0

This short collection of poems seems like they might be geared towards a young audience as I found alot of poems to be juvenile and, dare I say, corny. 

Not my type of poetry book unfortunately.  

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

adventurous mysterious medium-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? No

4.5

I have been looking for a good cozy mystery written by a Black author for a while now and I'm so glad I've found Olivia Matthews! 

Can't wait to read more work from her in the future. 

Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne

adventurous hopeful medium-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? No

5.0

I loved this! 
Such a cute read with great themes about loss, grief, and healing while still being uplifting and funny!

Spells & Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mlynowski

5.0