gossamer_lens's reviews
1401 reviews

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

Love love love!

Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

I just love Nick, Charlie and crew. No thoughts, just love. 

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I picked this up in ebook format, and man oh man am I glad I read this not as an audiobook. There is something about the author's writing that is rather clinical and the narrator they work with just makes it feel doubly so. I think the first book could have been a 5 star for me if I had read it not as an audiobook. 

This books POV was a little less intriguing and a little less gripping then the first book. But I really liked one of the POV additions and I'm very interested to see where things go... this book suffered the middle book trilogy case of feeling like a carrier to get us from point A to point B. That said it didn't suffer mightily for it, it just lacked the something that could have put it at a 5 star. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Cannibalism

Prompted, Issue 02: Reedsy's short story review by Reedsy Ltd

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Average rating of all 12 short stories was 2.92. Two stories were a full 5 stars for me. Would really love to read more of Laura Jarosz!

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.25

a cute and charming collection of stories featuring childhood friendship.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death

Forever . . . by Judy Blume
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

I just don't care at all for these self assured teenagers who think and feel like adults (I literally had to Google if they were seniors in high-school or college). There is no tension, no joy in their romance. It is quick and rather painless and I just don't emotionally connect with this compared to the reality of my own teenage experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.

The author reads this audiobook... She is in no way a professional narrator so I don't want to be harsh. But her accent (American southern), pacing, and a lisp makes this audiobook very tough for me to take in. I will definitely miss things if I read this way. So I'm dnfing to get a print version.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

I think people who enjoy old black and white Wednesday Addams might like this book... I certainly enjoyed the vibes well enough that I didn't DNF. I was intrigued to know where things would go. But I didn't truly connect with any of the characters or the plot and felt let down by the ending. 

It was odd and sorta vibes only. 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.

This audiobook is just not for me. Going to get this in a different format.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

I cannot make it further throught this book. It seems well-written, if a bit dense. But I'm struggling to see it working for me as a book as it seems too dry and text bookish to be very engaging and too triggering to be a roadmap for anyone trying to work through trauma. Maybe it is for those who are casual observers of others trauma? I'm unsure. 

But with the above thoughts in mind, finding out about the alleged abuse that led to the author being let go from a position of power, and the tone of academic elitism... This book is a solid DNF for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail