casey_larsen's reviews
170 reviews

My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

Centered around a Japanese TV show and 2 women tied to it, My Year of Meats was a bit strange to say the least. I feel like maybe if I was more familiar with TV shows in Japan, I would've been more easily able to wrap my head around the television show's concept of selling meat through telling the stories of American families. But I'm really only familiar with American (and some British) TV norms, and I just couldn't grasp this particular fictional TV show. This is another book that I read for a class and likely wouldn't have picked it up myself, nor do I see myself rereading.

On a more positive note, I did like the dual POVs, along with the occasional interjection of the featured TV wives' individual story. I also really liked the strong, very identifiable, character development in both of the main characters and I liked where they both ended up.

Power by Linda Hogan

dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

It had very flowery, literary language that I just couldn't get into. It also felt like it was meant to be read for all this deeper meaning, but I felt like I could never get to the level the author wanted me at. If I didn't have to read it for a class, I likely wouldn't have picked it up myself, and I don't really see myself ever being in the headspace to reread it.

All that being said, I did like learning about a Floridian Native American tribe, since I'm more familiar (though clearly no expert) with midwestern tribes.

The Project by Courtney Summers

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I think Summers did a really good job writing the cult that is The Unity Project. At one point, I was in agreement with the main character that the cult didn't seem so bad, which was impressive as both she and I started off wary of it. Maybe that just means I'd be easy to indoctrinate into a cult, but I thought it was pretty cool that Summers writing was good enough to make me go from "this cult has to be bad" to "oh wait, they don't seem that bad" back to "nope, my first instinct was right."

Had I been slightly more attached to the characters and invested in what was going to happen next, I likely would've given it a higher rating. Some chapters did leave off on a good cliff hanger, making me want to read on, but it's not like I felt that way the entire book.

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Cute romance, but not one I necessarily need to reread. I read it because it was based around an actual interview that Chris Evans did, but otherwise it wasn't really in my romance wheelhouse. 

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan

challenging emotional informative reflective tense 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

5.0

WOW WOW WOW. I remember why I love Jodi Picoult so much, and now I'm going to have to check out more of Boylan's work. The plot twist of

Lily being trans caught me completely off guard because they treated her character like any other female character, which of course is appropriate since she's a girl, I just feel like other writers usually hit it earlier to show how "diverse" their book is early on. I'm also still working on my own understanding, and the metaphor of not choosing to be left or right handed, one just feels right, really helped me to see what a trans person may be coping with. Obviously, this metaphor is on a much smaller scale than a person's gender, but it better described something I'm still working to understand in a way that I think other, less accepting people might also understand.

The "plot twist" at the very end didn't hit me quite as hard as the other one, but I thought it was still pretty good. And like any other Picoult novel, I didn't want to put it down, and I'll definitely be recommending it!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

challenging funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I was nervous going into this one because everyone seems to love it, so I feared it would be overhyped. However, I was happy to find that it was just as amazing as everyone says! I loved how it was formatted with Monique being the one to discover Evelyn's narrative through her stories and the explanation as to why Evelyn wanted Monique to be the one to write her biography. I love when stories come full circle like that. And on top of all that, I didn't want to put it down! I'll definitely be playing into the hype and recommending it.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark tense 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

This was my first Octavia Butler, but I don't think it will be my last. I also really liked the essays at the back of my edition. The only reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars is because I didn't have the "can't put-downness" that I usually look for.

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

This was the first graphic novel I've read since middle school, and I loved it! It was a really quick read, and just a cute story overall. I'll definitely be reading the rest, and Oseman's other novels.

Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This definitely fulfilled my expectations of "midwest noir," however it wasn't my favorite mystery. That mostly has to do with the fact that the relationship between Hazel and Nik felt like it took up the same amount of plot as the actual mystery, which I wasn't expecting when I went into it. I wanted a little more thriller and a little less (for lack of a better word) romance. Had I known their relationship would play such a major role prior to reading, I may have enjoyed it more.