jpalomav's reviews
360 reviews

The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela

hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Great short stories with good lessons. 

Solaris - BBC Audio Drama by Stanisław Lem, Hattie Naylor

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Heard the BBC version on audio and it was great! The performances really enhanced all the feelings the characters were feeling. 

Blood Relation by Dan Willis

mysterious slow-paced

3.0

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, Rafael Albuquerque, Rafael Scavone

mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

Time to Party by Molly Knox Ostertag

adventurous lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Good second book. Gives more information about the other friends. Coming of age story and trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be. 

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag

adventurous lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Fun little book to encourage fantasy and also dealing with changes of being able to open up to others and get to know them. 

Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera

adventurous inspiring 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

4.0

Good second book. < spoiler> Surprised how it tied at the end with the previous book < /spoiler> It felt immersive the way Leandro pointed out the details of things along with the world building from the author. Some heavy themes that are shown that parallels our current world which gives us hope to figure things out. 

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

challenging sad 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

2.0

Couldn’t really get into it. It just kept going no stopping. Didn’t know when she was going to stop that idea and continue with the next. Seems like it’s written like a journal where you just keep your thoughts going. Lack of chapters didn’t help either. 

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

Some good ideas and information about bettering myself to in leadership. Being more courageous even though it’s uncomfortable - I feel like I know this stuff but need that encouragement to actually try it out. This is supposed to give us that encouragement but didn’t work for me at least.