fusaichipegasusk's reviews
552 reviews

Dune by Frank Herbert

challenging slow-paced

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

0.5

I am an absolutely massive fan of the films by Denis Villeneuve, and this book was so horrible that it made me appreciate them even more. I cannot believe anyone was able to make such spectacular works of art when inspired by such a dull, horribly-written source material. I didn't find it interesting in the slightest and the only things that piqued my interest at all were a few minor differences between the film and book. Was quite the drag to get through!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus by Lisa Wade

informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

I attended a large state university at the time that this book was written, and I absolutely hated my time there. I didn't have any friends and felt very self-conscious that everyone around me seemed to be having sex constantly. This book takes a peek into that world and how it affects those who are having sex as well as those like me who were not. A number of different individuals are talked about, but because the stories are interspersed with one another, I found it a little hard to follow them and remember who was who (I read it in short bursts over several weeks). With that being said, I did feel like it brought up a number of interesting topics. It was a quick read that was easy to digest, And it really made me think about a lot of things I hadn't considered about sexism and sexuality.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show by Tommy Tomlinson

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Hug your dog for me. This had me absolutely bawling. Highly recommend if you love dogs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

2.75

I was pretty surprised I didn't like this book, because I know it has plenty of great reviews. But it felt like it was missing something. The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed the small scenes captured from the author's life, but I really didn't feel like I knew any of the deceased people from her descriptions, other than Joshua (his chapter was beautifully written). I could tell that she loved the people and I really wanted to know more about them, but I never felt connected with them throughout my reading. 

 Also, the interspersed stories about her childhood seemed awkwardly placed to me. I know she states the two stories come to a point at the end, but it still felt a little disjointed. I did really enjoy the musings on the individually-directed racism towards her and the systemically-directed racism she noticed towards her brother, and I also liked many of the childhood anecdotes that she saw more in looking back as an adult. The book just felt like more of a draft than a finished product to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

dark reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

This book had all the makings of a great one - what a wonderful idea for a plot! However, I found it to be a little dull. Minnow's reactions just didn't seem realistic to me and she didn't seem anywhere near as traumatized as she should have been from that upbringing. I loved Angel and found her to be by far the most interesting character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Lesbophobia

Bunny by Mona Awad

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

I'm honestly not sure how I felt about this book. I think I really enjoyed it, but it's the type of story that you really have to sit on for a little while to process. Definitely best to go in blind and not know anything about the plot!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read

adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

3.75

This was a very informative book that covered a really tragic incident in great detail. I appreciate that it didn't make light of the cannibalism and described the emotional turmoil that the survivors felt when consuming the bodies of their friends. The interspersed chapters about the families looking for the plane felt a little out of place, though I admit I don't know of a better way to put them in. There were so many people involved in the incident that I sometimes had trouble keeping track of who was who, and I really would have loved more pictures and information about each of the boys and their lives before this event.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Excrement, Vomit, and Grief

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr

adventurous reflective 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? No

4.75

This was an odd little book, but I really enjoyed it. The author's descriptions of physical exhaustion, sex, joy, and heartbreak were incredibly touching and made me feel like I was experiencing them myself. As far as the plot, not a lot really happened, but the descriptions of the scenery and people were so vivid that I was absolutely enthralled by about a quarter of the way in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Vomit

All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers' Row by James Patterson, Alex Abramovich

dark informative sad medium-paced

2.75

This was an entertaining enough book, but I was pretty shocked at how terrible the editing was at some points. On multiple occasions in the book, I found missing words or sections where a person was mentioned by last name without having ever been introduced. It also didn't seem like the authors had the opportunity to speak with many people who actually knew Aaron. It almost felt like a fleshed-out Wikipedia article instead of anything actually enlightening. However, it did provide a decent overview of the case. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

This was a quick, easy read that was interesting enough, though not spectacular. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters and the love story felt very forced. It also seemed to be a little too neat of an ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail