kamrynharned's reviews
148 reviews

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

fast-paced

5.0

Recommended by both Aspen & Helena, I knew I was going to fall in love with this book. Rather than fall short trying to explain all that this book accomplishes, I’ll try to list the things that made me feel, in the many senses and depths of the word:

• The blissful ignorance of pre-married lovers made me laugh (“Of course, we’ve talked about everything that needs to be talked about!”)
• The adoration of simplicity and beauty made me want to move to the country, lay in the grass and watch the clouds
• The way the formed dreams and then made them reality was inspirational - they weren’t simply poets with their heads in the clouds. 
• The incredibly moving conversion story of both Davy and Sheldon moved me deeply and satisfied a yearning that I think I’ve felt for a while - to know what it feels like to encounter God for the FIRST time, to make that step from darkness to light. 
• The community they had in Oxford challenged me to broaden my hospitality and deepen my expectations for the kinds of conversations that can be had among friends
• His letters from C.S. Lewis left me in awe - of his ability to speak directly and succinctly, but in such beautiful prose
• The stories of Davy ministering to those in the hospital left me inspired 
• The strengthening of their love through hardship and sickness made me want to cry
• The death of Davy was exactly the way death SHOULD be - so for someone who has seen both horrible and beautiful deaths, I was incredibly satisfied, and oddly, the main emotion I felt wasn’t sadness. Perhaps that was the authors intent?
• Sheldon’s reflections after death made me have to put the book down occasionally - not because I was bored but because I was processing. His thoughts on grief, the necessary death of love, the meaning of time, and the Severe Mercy of Death made me feel like I had just been bettered.  It made me feel thankful - thankful that I can face future deaths in my own life with hopefully the same voracity and wholeness of grief, and thankful that I have a love that will one day be so shattering to lose.
• All of the poetry in this book was inspiring and stunning.  I wanted to sit and bask in the words, but I was so enamored with the story that I had to keep moving forward. I think my favorite poem was “Dying” (pg 167)
• And finally, an honorable mention to every gorgeous sentence that made me feel the warm fuzzies. There were a lot of them.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

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

This book initially drew me in because of its name.  I broke my sacred “No buying until you’ve read it” rule and impulsively bought this for my mom while we were in Alexandria.  Of course I had to read it, and I’m glad I did.  While it struck a bad nerve once or twice and went on a preaching rampage (one of my biggest pet peeves), the characters in this book truly came alive for me.  I feel endeared to all of them, but I do believe Chona & Monkey Pants will stay with me forever.  It was truly masterful how James McBride wove together the intricate and complex community that was Chicken Hill - including politics, religion, personality and profession. I thought it was brilliant how the author started with the mystery that is wrapped up in the end, but the character development, background setting and community building was all so engaging I honestly forgot about the mystery for most of the book. If being nit-picky, I do wish that the author hadn’t waited so long to get to the main climax and had gone into more detail about

the rescue of Dodo

While we are still left wondering about Moshe and Paper, the ending was truly lovely. To love and to be loved. That is the goal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

I knew it was middle grade, but it was definitely too middle grade for me. I bet I would have loved it in middle school though!!

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

I have finally found a Shakespeare play that I loved! Appreciating the craft is one thing - actually enjoying it is another it seems. I listened to this on audiobook, but would love to go back and read a physical copy. I loved how all the unlikely characters were interwoven by the end, and appreciated the happy ending as opposed to Shakespeare more tragic counterparts. The play scene actually had me giggling - I would rather like to see it preformed myself, if only to see the Wall. 😉

James by Percival Everett

adventurous challenging sad fast-paced

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

3.5

I heard about this book from Boggie who heard about it from her Real Simple magazine. Here are the reasons that I did enjoy it:

• it was fast-paced and exciting, much easier to get through than Huck Finn.
• It had some plot twists and new characters
• the character arc of Jim was very fascinating. 

Here are the reasons I did not enjoy it: 

• it had some plot twists and new characters. I didn’t think the author would change the storyline and plot of Huckleberry Finn as much as he did. While I understand the desire to make this book unique, it did not live up to my expectations and I think the book could have been unique enough just from the perspective of Jim
• I don’t love a book that preaches on the social issues it’s addressing. Mark Twain said just as much about slavery in Huckleberry Finn in half as many words, and while I understand that part of James’ character is the love of philosophy, it didn’t flow naturally. Why say verbatim what you can make people feel and understand through your story and character development? 

Dracula by Bram Stoker

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Dracula was a thrilling ride, although to be honest, when asked how I was liking it, my answer was almost always first, “Well, it’s longer than it feels like it needs to be…”. While I still feel like that is true, I am not upset by the reading/listening experience as a whole. I mostly listened to the audiobook, and the voice actors were incredible. It really brought the characters to live, especially Van Helsing.  While there was certainly a more than fair amount of dramatic flourish to roll your eyes at, it somehow worked. I didn’t find myself annoyed or even truly bored, even when the internal dialogue of certain accounts seemed to drag on much too long. As with every thriller, there were moments where I wanted to yell at the characters for being so stupid. In many ways, the death of Lucy felt so avoidable if they had just stayed awake or more vigilant, and same with Mina.  There was certainly some questionable borderline sexist remarks and while Mina was love-able, I wish she was a little less of a “picture-perfect wife & heroine that everyone is willing to die for” and more of a flawed, genuine character. However, the book was brilliantly written, Count Dracula was perfectly terrifying and I absolutely couldn’t read it at night. I might recommend the abridged version to anyone who wants to pick it up, but I am thankful for the experience.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Aside from some beautiful quotes, everything about Macbeth was an average experience for me.  I personally didn’t connect with any of the characters, and while I followed the plot easier than I was expecting to, I still feel like I have some major holes in my understanding of the basic plot.  If the play was longer, or if it was a novel, Macbeth’s descent into madness could have been a more interesting thing to witness, and maybe his relationship dynamic with his wife could have been developed further. It just felt so rushed.  The Weird Sisters were a welcome addition of a little levity.  Honestly, this felt to me like a bloodier version of Hamlet with less character development. 

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

It was slow, uninteresting and SO much background! The characters didn’t do anything for the first 120 pages - they just dialogued or had background going on.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

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

Alias Grace was a book unlike any other I’ve read yet.  It’s a historical fiction, but it almost reads like a psychological thriller.  You are yourself put in the place of the Doctor hearing her case - do you trust Grace? Or believe her to be a psychopath? Is she simply a traumatized, manipulated young girl, or does she have an evil, twisted side?  Reading from Grace’s perspective, it was easy to take everything she said as truth, but the more you read from her perspective, the more you realize how many things aren’t adding up. She’s not a reliable narrator, but you WANT to believe her. She is likable and relatable. Dr. Jordan, on the other hand, has a character arc that is both frustrating and unlikable.  His life slowly unravels before our eyes, and his decision making becomes more and more flawed.  I felt the ending was perfect - enough answers to feel satisfied, but enough question marks to keep thinking about the book for long after it’s finished. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

adventurous emotional funny 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? No

4.0

I’ve heard before that Huckleberry Finn is a very different book from Tom Sawyer, and I definitely found that to be the case. I expected to fly through it like I did Tom Sawyer, but this book took me WEEKS. At times, the plot was so slow that I just had no motivation to pick it back up. Weeks upon weeks on raft on a river, and there were some characters that were so unlikable (the duke and king) that I just couldn’t wait for them to be out of the book.  I was frustrated by how long they were in the book, and it also frustrates me (more than entertained me) how ridiculous the boys escapades were in helping Jim escape. I loved Huck’s character progression and the love & loyalty that he developed for Jim. Despite being a drunkards son with very little love, education or stability, he has such a sweet and tender spirit. He’s smart, witty and resourceful, and in tune with his conscience. 
Jim is an incredible character as well. I loved the moment of him sacrificing himself for Tom.
Most powerful moment in the book:
“Alright, I’ll go to Hell.”