izzthicc's reviews
66 reviews

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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

Maurice by E.M. Forster

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional mysterious slow-paced

2.5

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

dark emotional reflective sad 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

2.5

I had to read this for my LGBTQ+ literature class and I feel like we could’ve read something, ANYTHING, else. I liked it at the beginning, but a few racial slurs later I was sick and tired of this book. I get the story and whatnot and it was heartbreaking at times. Still didn’t like it. The writing was good, I’ll give Isherwood that. He’s just racist, sooo….

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Misogyny and Car accident

Minor: Terminal illness

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

i finally finished the HOO series and it was a little anticlimactic in the end but i honestly only read this book for more nico content, my beloved🫶🏽

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.5

I hated almost every character in this book more than I liked them (except Hela) and even then, I loved this book. Baldwin’s writing is heartbreaking and intentional. Though David’s cynicism infects you throughout the pages, you can’t help but glimpse the slight hopefulness that I think is prevalent in the subtext. In the end,

David is still unlikeable, still running away from that which scares him, but he’s still changed in a way, though you can see that he has no plans to deviate from his habits.

I just really liked this book. It’s the first of Baldwin’s works that I’ve read and I’m now looking forward to reading some more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Infidelity, and Gun violence

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

This definitely helped me view writing and creativity in a new light and had some very concrete advice that I will be putting to use soon. I think it was a good, short book to read when you are feeling a bit stuck in place, and it helped me during a time when I considered quitting everything in general. I would say it was kind of limited and very broad in its advice, though it is meant for a broad audience as anyone who is a “creative” can use this book as a guide, so I suppose it was good for those purposes.