dearbookshelves's reviews
442 reviews

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I'm glad I reread Fevered Star because I didn't remember most of this one. It's very "second book" in that the main goal is to get characters where they need to be for the end of the series. There are moments of this that I really enjoy and the action at the climax is so exciting but a lot of the time I was just meeting new people and trying to slot them in where they need to go in my mind. I am very excited to see what happens in Mirrored Heavens!

Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

The main Lovesickness arc is great and I really liked the seance story but the rest were just fine. Phenomenal art throughout though!

Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro

dark sad

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

2.75

I'm not sure if it was down to the translation or that I read most of this while I was sick and foggy but sometimes I couldn't keep up with where/when we were. 

There are sections of this I really enjoyed. The main characters show love to each other by sharing music and film recommendations and that is so endearing to me. Additionally, seeing the Korean/Japanese dynamic in this way is interesting. I just felt like I was being held at arm's length from the emotions of the characters sometimes.

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is one of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate Harvard and in The Undocumented Americans, she spends time traveling the country to tell the stories of everyday undocumented people and their experiences.

This book came to me at such a critical time and reading it in between scrolling news about increasing ICE raids was very heavy. Villavicencio writes in a way that shows not only how vulnerable and complex her subjects are but she also is not afraid of showing her own shortcomings and helplessness. She also injects enough humor to bring some levity. I really appreciate this book and am glad to mark it as my first five star read of the year.

The Dangerous Convenience Store Vol. 4 by 945

dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

Loving the developing plot here. We are finally getting to know about the main characters' family and friends and past and that's really interesting. There is something about the sexual dynamic that I'm not totally sold on though 

Volume ø: Issue 3 by Book of the Month Club

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

Favorites:
The Cabin
The Feminist
Tina Slinn
The Wish Bridge

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.5

I started this in mid June with the intention of reading a poem every day until it was finished. I feel like we've been on a long and beautiful journey together, Mary Oliver and I.

More practically the first half is stronger than the second but I enjoyed the whole collection very much.

Chlorine by Jade Song

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.25

I've been sitting for an hour trying to figure out what I think about Chlorine. I like this as a coming of age novel and Ren's obsession with wanting to become a mermaid as a metaphor for escaping a life full of pressures is beautiful. There's just something about the book that I can't quite put my finger on that kept this from fully clicking for me. It might be down to the marketing. I've seen this listed as horror in a lot of places but it doesn't feel like that for much of the book. Horrific things are happening to Ren and she's struggling but the things that would be described as true horror in a traditional sense don't really start until the last quarter of the book. I also think the ending is just a big bummer but I'm not sure if that was intentional or not.

In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction by Annie Dillard, Lee Gutkind

3.5

There are some essays that really stand out here about a variety of topics. The ones that are great are great but there are some that are really not good. Here are my 4-5 star stories
Three Spheres - a psychologist returns to a hospital she once stayed at.
Looking at Emmet Till - A Black man talks about the connection he feels to Emmet Till
Shunned - A teen pregnancy causes a young girl to lose everything
Dinner at Uncle Boris's - A family dinner with difficult family members
Prayer Dogs - A woman discusses the way people are harming prairie dogs
What is it we really harvestin' here - An essay discussing the relationship between slavery and food.
Killing Wolves - A journalist visits wolf trappers in Alaska and discusses the complexity of humans and their relationship with animals.
Language at Play - Anything discussing language and the human experience is top for me!
Finders Keepers - A man finds 1.2 million dollars and has to figure out how to be able to keep it.
Notes From a Difficult Case -  Asks the question as to whether or not it is worth it to sue for medical malpractice.
Leaving Babylon: A Walk Through the Jewish Divorce Ceremony - A woman recounts her divorce ceremony and her marriage before it fell apart.
Gray Matter - An author has brain damage and has to figure out how to live with it.
Joe Stopped By - How do you deal with racist and terrible family members?
Chimera - How do the immune and nervous system work with human memory?
Mixed-Blood Stew - How do genetics shape us?
Why I Ride - What are the different ways freedom can look for women?

The Dangerous Convenience Store Vol. 3 by 945

emotional funny fast-paced

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

3.75

I feel sad for Eui-joon and I keep going back and forth about whether or not I like this relationship. I am glad some more plot development is happening in this volume.