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ellornaslibrary's reviews
488 reviews
The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
I just really couldn't get into this book. I really wanted to like it. Perhaps I'll try it again another time.
Total Suplex of the Heart by Joanne Starer
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and War
Thank You, Night by Dan McCauley
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
5.0
This was a really great book. I was really pleased by how well the mental health aspects were represented. Most adults don't seem to acknowledge the stress, anxiety, and other things that children deal with on the daily. They'll say stuff like "what do they have to be stressed about?" as if only adults can experience things in life that bring about these moments. I remember being a child dealing with stress about school, about things going on in my family, about school work, about friendships, about my own worries as a growing child. . . and feeling like there wasn't anyone who understood me. A book like this would've been great. The poetry of the writing made it easier to understand the points being made to the reader with the art accompanying it beautifully. Together they both told a story that teaches kids ways they can see the bright side even when things are rough.
Soulful Struttin' by Julia Pierre Hammond
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
This was a delightful read that could definitely brighten anyone's day. It was nice to read about a family with parents outside the conventional, and traditional, gender norms usually pushed in other books. Here the father was helping with the cleaning, and while the daughter helped with them as well the brother helped the mother in the garden. All around it subverts the idea of who should help with household duties/chores. On top of that there's something delightful in seeing this beautiful father-daughter relationship brought to life between the art and the musical writings. And it gets to be educational as well in the way that it teaches about different types of music as the cleaning progresses through the story.
Sadie Soars into Space by Arezu Sarvestani
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Space is something I've always loved to learn about since I was little. Books like this one would've been right up little me's alley. The colorful choices of the art really help to pull you into the story, and make the educational material easier to grasp. It's an adorable story about Sadie who tells a story of her journey through space in that beautifully imaginative way kids do. My only complaint was I felt like the way the educational bits were placed around the page could be a little too disjointed. Pulling your gaze away from the main sentence; making you wonder what you're supposed to read first. That can be a little overwhelming for children, of course. Besides that though the information in here was done really well and explained in ways that children this age could easily grasp.
Wind Is a Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. The art combined with the poetry of the writing made it a soothing read. On top of that, it taught me stuff even I didn't know at 39-years-old and refreshed my mind where it concerned stuff I'd learned in school yeaaaaars ago. It also made learning a fun, bright experience. The art itself adds to the soothing experience in the best way as it's so well done. The colors used were a beautiful choice and made the words more captivating. I would definitely recommend this book as an educational tool for parents or teachers, but also just as an enjoyable read for those of any age.
The Terrifying Tales of Vivian Vance by Josh Ulrich
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A fun, adventurous read that gives vibes of stuff like Veronica Mars or Nancy Drew just with a fantasy/sci-fi twist. The characters were definitely a delight though it was hard to like Vivian at first given her first interaction with the other characters. Not that it was hard to sympathize with the why of what she was doing, just it wasn't exactly a nice thing and it's obvious that this is intentional. The character does grow though as the story progresses. The overall arc was a lot of fun though I do wish one thing about the ending had been different. Yet I suspect I know why it wasn't though I'd have to read more - if there is more - to find out. The art style was done well especially for the old-timey style of the story. Loved how colorful it was as well. I don't know if this story was necessarily my absolute favorite though it did give me some appropriate spoopy vibes for the season. If there's more published though, I'd definitely still pick it up and see how it goes as I did enjoy my time reading this graphic novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Classism
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Really struggled with the narration. Might try it as an eBook instead cause the story seems interesting and I really want to read the book. I might give it another go as an audiobook another time though. . . We'll see.
The Sky Is Not Blue by Joy Jones
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A truly lovely book that adults and children alike would benefit from reading. When I was in school, and even now, we often hear of teachers who refuse to listen to students that might correct them. In this book the teacher listens instead of being stuck on adamantly admitting their assumption is incorrect. The student ends up teaching them and in the end they see that perhaps they'd closed off their mind to the possibilities. There's a valuable lesson here about how adults, especially at times those who become teachers, often stop seeing things and become rigid in their ways. When a student then corrects them? You hear horrible stories about them punishing the child or making fun of them in front of their classmates, etc. In this book, the teacher doesn't behave in this manner and instead learns something beautiful from their student. I loved that so much.
The art itself is lovely. Given the importance color plays in this story, it's nice to see how the color comes through in the illustrations. I was pleased to see that it shows that the sky isn't always blue cause as a kid I used to think about that too whenever teachers, especially art teachers early on, would insist on encouraging blue for the sky. The sky is full of so many colors at different times and in different weather, and the illustrator did a great job showing that in this book.
A truly lovely book that adults and children alike would benefit from reading. When I was in school, and even now, we often hear of teachers who refuse to listen to students that might correct them. In this book the teacher listens instead of being stuck on adamantly admitting their assumption is incorrect. The student ends up teaching them and in the end they see that perhaps they'd closed off their mind to the possibilities. There's a valuable lesson here about how adults, especially at times those who become teachers, often stop seeing things and become rigid in their ways. When a student then corrects them? You hear horrible stories about them punishing the child or making fun of them in front of their classmates, etc. In this book, the teacher doesn't behave in this manner and instead learns something beautiful from their student. I loved that so much.
The art itself is lovely. Given the importance color plays in this story, it's nice to see how the color comes through in the illustrations. I was pleased to see that it shows that the sky isn't always blue cause as a kid I used to think about that too whenever teachers, especially art teachers early on, would insist on encouraging blue for the sky. The sky is full of so many colors at different times and in different weather, and the illustrator did a great job showing that in this book.