helendipietro's reviews
252 reviews

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention by Johann Hari

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Just wow!

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

5.0

So quirky and captivating! What a book! 

The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Recommended to me by one of my students, the first book in the ‘Scarlet and Ivy’ series - The Lost Twin - is a brilliant mystery full of twists and turns. Even I, as an adult, didn't see some of the twists coming! The characters are loveable, the plot is engaging and the setting is spooky and atmospheric! I’d definitely recommend this to children who enjoyed reading ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ and ‘Murder Most Unladylike.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

Out to Sea by Helen Kellock

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

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

5.0

Out to Sea is such a delicate, poignant and beautiful picture book that cleverly portrays how one little girl grieves her Grandma. I loved the metaphor used to show how it can feel like you’ve been swept out to sea - alone and lost. But the story is hopeful, teaching young children that all emotions are valid and necessary and in the end, we are not alone.❤️ A comforting and poetic read.

The Night Flower by Lara Hawthorne

hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations by Jessie Ware

funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Surprisingly, this is the first foodoir I’ve ever read. Surprising because I love food and I love learning about people’s life experiences so it’s seems pretty obvious I’d enjoy it! The writing is frank, honest and open. Jessie Ware has a great sense of humour and this comes across in her writing style. It really was an enjoyable and quick read. 

More important topics were also covered like the pressure on new mums to breast feed and a window into Jewish culture and tradition which I appreciated.

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski

hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

I had been seeing a lot of positive praise surrounding this book including from other sex educators online and so I added it straight to my TBR! I did take me a while to get through it because of the science-y content I had to read and process it in chunks but the content itself is brilliant. 

I love how Nagoski writes and how she chooses to explain the science but the amount of metaphors used sometimes got on my nerves. Overall though this is truly an important, informative and accessible book that should be read by everybody! Our sex education in school is pretty poor and I know if I had read this book when I was younger, it would have had a huge impact on my life and experiences. 

Sunflower Sisters by Monika Singh Gangotra

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Haven’t read anything like this before and I loved it! It’s a very memorable book that will have you reflecting on your own life.