issyd23's reviews
144 reviews

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A bit like a gender swapped shrek 3🛶

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-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

3.0

I know it was a dangerous time (esp as a White woman) but I would kill to visit Jakarta in the 1960s! 3🇮🇩

I started reading this book last year in Surabaya and struggled to get into it but since returning home I’ve been missing indo and this has taken back. 

This book isn’t perfect: I hate how it ends right before 1967, I felt as if Koch was edging the coup the entire time. 

Also Hamilton is the epitome of Said’s Orentialist: this man knows nothing about the language, culture and political situation and has affairs with women who are probably spies but fully embraces the city and is straight vibing in indo. He almost always gets always with his ignorance by being tall, White, friendly and handsome. 

Koch just gets indo (at least from the perspective of an Aussie) and reading this in Melbourne has transported me right back there! How I miss the stifling heat, chaotic stress and spicy food - balik k sn segera inshallah 🙏

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

AMAZING AMY DID NOTHING WRONG! 4✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

A cute and poignant story 2📚

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

All Fours by Miranda July

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

First book I’ve read that centres menopause. Had to give an extra star for that tampon scene b/c omg - unlike anything I’ve read 4🧗‍♂️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, and Abandonment

Unleashed by Boris Johnson

challenging funny hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

2.0

Quick tie him back up! Listen to 30 hours of BJ yap & moan about everyone he hates 2⛓️

This is one long book: thankfully I  listened to the audiobook which he narrates very animatedly but even that took a while. 

To be fair I think you can make your memoir as long or as short as you like and here BJ goes into great detail of his political career and accomplishments. 

Less detail is given on his controversies: Nazanin Zaghari, party-gate, Pincher ect. and more of a defence/general blaming of others.

There is so much shade at May omg in one anecdote at a state dinner he basically portrays her as socially awkward and inept. 

Sadly no mention of his many affairs or how he met Carrie. 

A mix of boring (all the brexit stuff) and entertaining (shade of other politicians + dying of covid).

#levelUp #getBrexitDone

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and War

The Trial by Franz Kafka

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

WHAT’S HAPPENING?!! Shoutout to Kafka for literally writing an entire novel to get out of an engagement 2😵‍💫

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

BRAT: A Ghost Story by Gabriel Smith

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Who the fuck are you? I’m a brat when I’m bumping that 2🦌 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Unofficial sequel to Pricilla’s Elvis and Me (though I preferred this). Parts written by Riley were heartbreaking. An incredible read, wish LM were still alive and the book was longer 4🎵

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

“‘the devil was standing right there.’…the missing panel: showed William K Hale, staring coldly at the camera. The Osage had removed his image, not to forget the murders, as most Americans had, but because they cannot forget.” 4🥀

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism