estellegodard's reviews
240 reviews

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

this book has a lot to say & it did win me over by the end. I periodically had moments when I didn’t enjoy the book but that mainly came from the style of writing: I found it to be exceptionally difficult to read due to its long sentences & philosophizing. but, the story was lovely and the characters were interesting and quirky. in the last 100 pages or so I found myself tearing up twice (a rare occurrence for me). all in all, this is a book I would recommend but I think it needs to be read slowly. the benefit at least was that the chapters are snappy , so even whilst dealing with challenging content, it keeps a good pace & has humorous and sarcastic moments to counterbalance it. 

The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success by Kevin Dutton

funny informative fast-paced

3.25

I read this shortly after watching the show MindHunters and they go so well together ! I love this topic and find it so interesting. the author began to lose me in the last quarter of the book; things were a little repetitive and a I thought the point had been made. still, it was a very entertaining audio book 

Optic Nerve by María Gainza

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No

1.75

I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this at all & it’s a shock I even made it through. there was no plot, but beyond that there was no rhyme or reason. I liked the concept of this book & I thought the writing was quite beautiful, but there was no decipherable purpose to the novel, nor was there a clear thread to follow. it was messy and scattered in its thoughts. the painting descriptions were most enjoyable. 

The Trees by Percival Everett

fast-paced

5.0

phenomenal and unlike many books I’ve read. the historical elements were mixed in with the sarcastic tone and thriller vibes making it a bingeable and addicting reading experience. the ending was ambiguous and we certainly don’t get the answers we want, but it is a hard hitting book with hard hitting themes & messages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

dark

3.75

fantastic book that reads much like a thriller. i knew nothing of this dark period of time and it was fascinating. the narrative was a little hard to follow at times since there were so many characters to keep track of and so many jumping timelines. I also didn’t gain much from the fbi storyline other than additional confusion. nonetheless, I cannot wait for the film adaptation. 

We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets

3.5

I flew through this. I liked the backdrop this story was placed against & i thought we did get an interesting look at how media affects people who consume it; perhaps I would have liked a little more insight into the main character’s dealings with the content she came across since she seemed only slightly changed to me. I think fundamentally we are dealing with a disturbed character (evident by the ending) & so it gets a little hard to separate whether it’s her job or her past that makes her like this. 

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

challenging informative

3.0

this was a bit tricky for me to rate because of how dense it was. I enjoyed a lot of the topics and thought it was very informative & it evoked a lot of thoughts. I did not personally relate so maybe this is why I wasn’t as invested (it could also be because it was an audiobook experience for me). still, it’s a worthy read & advocates for the treatment of trauma in all humans. 

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

2.75

unfortunately this felt overhyped for me and didn’t deliver on the hard-hitting emotional nuances I was expecting. the short chapters made it easy to consume & the ending was quite satisfying, if a bit unrealistic. overall, I thought this book didn’t dive deep enough into the characters and we had a superficial understanding as the meandered through boring everyday life. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

what an interesting and thought provoking concept !! junie was so unlikable (which is the point obviously) and I thought it was so interesting to read the book entirely from her pov. I do think the book was a bit repetitive at times and I was unsure if whether or not the self-righteousness of junie was realistic or too exaggerated. at any rate, I thought that there were very strong themes and I flew through this book almost like it was a thriller 

Finding Me by Viola Davis

emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

I listened to this as an audio book and it turned my experience into a 5 star experience. it was truly a performance on behalf of viola davis and even if the story wasn’t the best (though still incredible and inspiring) the narration made it worth the while. I flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed the message she spread.