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hannahleelovestoread's reviews
613 reviews
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
As the title suggests, this book is a master class in personal finance. Prospective readers shouldn’t be fooled, however; its contents aren’t only for teens. As an adult, I gleaned an astonishing amount of knowledge from this volume. Unfortunately, the typical student learns about personal finance very little if at all in school. As such, I found this work incredibly useful. From the first page, the book’s format had my vote of approval; the already brief chapters are divided into even more easily digestible sections in an outline style, and key words and phrases are written in bold font. Author Emma Davis neither assumes readers know any one fact nor ridicules them for their hypothetical ignorance. This text taught me about the intricacies of a credit report and the pros and cons of investment in the stock market; I used it to learn about budgeting apps and short-, medium-, and long-term goals. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone looking to improve his or her knowledge of personal finance.
There was nothing I disliked about this book; it seemed promising. I simply had several other betas, ARCs, etc. I was working on, and Christmas was a while ago.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
Though this book is inspired by the work of twentieth century Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy, the ideas within it are unique and exciting. Poetry lovers should know that neither Cavafy’s work nor poetry in general is centric to this work. As the book’s subtitle suggests, the poetry within is about our “Life’s Journey,” covering a wide range of topics pertaining to the human condition. Cavafy’s poetry augments these philosophical struggles, making them more relatable to the average person’s struggles. This is practical philosophy at its best. The book could also be classified as a work of self-help, though the author’s writing style is deeper and more beautiful than most books in that genre. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I’m sure that you will, too.
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book is hardly only a simple manual for the teenage demographic. I have long since seen the last of my teenage years, but after reading this piece, I have a deeper understanding of financial management and a fresh perspective on my place in the local, state, national, and world economies. The text offers sound, fact-based advice; practical statistics; and easily digestible, real-world examples. I feel prepared for numerous financial problems should any of them arise, yet I also feel equipped to take preventative measures before disaster strikes. To avoid becoming one of the 78% of Americans currently living paycheck to paycheck, for example, I will adopt a wealthy mindset; take advantage of the “magical” compound interest; and invest judiciously. I believe my favorite pieces of advice from the author were to practice gratitude and to maintain a steady flow of closely vetted philanthropic projects. I highly recommend this book to anyone not entirely confident in the personal finance sphere.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Janet Elliott’s The Alien Savant tells the simultaneously devastating, heartwarming, and hilarious life story of her brother, Michael. Born deaf and autistic in a time when the disabled were frequently locked away in horrifying institutions, Michael faced misunderstanding and even downright cruelty from others. While reading this book, I became emotional more frequently and on a deeper level than with many novels I’ve perused over the years. I felt Michael’s frustration as he struggled to convey his feelings through his art; I wept as his parents surely did when yet another care center turned him down; my heart swelled with a mixture of anger and pride along with a young Janet as she defended her baby brother from the neighborhood bullies. I recommend this beautifully written book to anyone and everyone. I am thankful to have received an advance review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Bullying
informative
fast-paced
In this book, author Rob Kosberg begins by discussing how, at one time, the reach of his professional content didn’t match what he recognized as its superior quality. For him, the solution — which eventually became the central tenet of his brand, Bestseller Publishing — was to revamp the entire process by which authors market their new books. As such, in this book, he instructs authors exactly how to follow his advice.
This is an immensely helpful informative piece for any aspiring author. Even though I have no current plans to write a book, as a voracious reader, I was fascinated by what I learned. I was intrigued, for example, by the concept that the mind best retains information in ones and threes and how this is a crucial tool when creating a subtitle. I also was struck by how much consideration goes into the choice of the color of a book’s cover, as every tone conveys a certain mood; pink, for example, is fun and especially attractive to a female audience, while blue emits trustworthiness.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I strongly recommend it to anyone with any interest in the publishing industry.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In this story, Detective Ethan Grant mysteriously receives a letter from his supposedly deceased informant, the appropriately named Lazarus. The eerie note informs Grant of a complex web of crime known as the Order, a thriving and evil entity operating in the underbelly of New York City. Grant enlists rival Evelyn and colleague Reed to help him take the Order down, but is the job too big for them alone? And who can they really trust?
This novella is ideal for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and/or suspense. Fun and fast-paced with a plot that is exciting but easy to follow, it’s the ultimate palate cleanser for anyone looking to take a break from long, heavy reads. Author Henry Bruce has pulled off no great literary feat, but that’s not the purpose of this book; The Final Clue Solving the Mystery is meant to be read for fun, and it is more than successful in that regard. This is apparently going to be a series, and I look forward to the next installment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Blood, Murder
Minor: Toxic friendship
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book is a beautiful collection of phrases and sayings from the sacred texts of eleven major religions and spiritual traditions. It would at first appear to offer a wide variety of thoughts and ideas, but author Ishwar Joshi Awalgaonkar makes an apt observation when he writes in the prologue that he “would always feel the same magical supernatural authoritative voice speaking to me from all of [the major sacred texts].” I, too, found that many phrases included in this collection — even those written in vastly different places and time periods — communicated the same basic message. As a practicing Christian and student of the Bible, I was already very familiar with the Abrahamic religions. Furthermore, as a college history minor, I learned about the basic tenets of Buddhism; Confucianism; Hinduism; Jainism; Taoism; and Zoroastrianism in my university days. It was Bahai and Sikhism about which Awalgaonkar’s curated excerpts taught me the most. Like those of my own religion of Christianity, Bahai’s sacred writings reflect upon the omnipotence of God and the sentiment that man will return to dust, i.e. that humanity is mortal. Also like the Christian Bible, Sikh texts celebrate God’s merciful nature, advocate for universal kindness, and deride arrogance. Overall, this is an excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about religions other than his or her own and how the different major belief systems of the world connect to one another.
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Grief