katieohara's reviews
115 reviews

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

IBID by Mark Dunn

slow-paced

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

3.0

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

challenging mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

It's a good book to get you out of a slump. I raced through the book in two days. I think it takes a little too long to get to the actual murder. I think some other elements were left a little unresolved. Also, for a book that is largely based on the interpersonal relationships of a theater group, I wished I could read more about the fallout afterward.  

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

4.25

Fantastic book. The author did a fantastic job choosing three case studies to tell a broader story of the Great Migration. However, you could tell that she grew attached to these people and had a hard time trimming down unnecessary details. On occasion she was repetitive, as if she expected people to come back to the book after putting it down for months.

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Originally I thought I would be bothered by a man as a narrator of a story about women’s trauma, but to be honest I think it works really well. A male narrator has a similar level of disconnect that the readers as non Mennonite’s might feel. The male narrator guides us through it as he himself is grappling with the situation and his differences from the women.

I think the comparison to Greek tragedy is very accurate, particularly on the philosophical debates on how to best handle justice. I was deeply engrossed in their arguments. I think the author did a great job balancing the debates with the (and I hesitate to say) limitations of illiterate women. 

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

funny informative tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

emotional funny sad fast-paced

4.0

I think what would have made this book better was if Jenette spoke about more of her healing process and time in therapy. I wanted to see more of her growth.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, Body shaming, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse

Stories: All-New Tales by Neil Gaiman, Al Sarrantonio

adventurous challenging slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Kidnapping

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Misogyny, Sexism, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Drug abuse, Self harm, War, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.75

It’s a great concept, but I think the book overall suffers from trying to include too much quirkiness. I think it distracts from the core original concept with the girl who can see ghosts.  I also cringe whenever I read any references to the real world like “Uber” or “TikTok” which are all references here. It just breaks my ability to immerse myself. I think the dialogue also needed work, especially when the main character talked about how great she is of a writer and how she could write a New York Times bestseller. Even if she was that good, it’s poor form. Moreover, the author seem to skip opportunities to show off her writing skills, such as highlighting her ability to switch voice. For example, the book hypes of this letter from her dad that we don’t really get to actually read, and while we get some snippets of the romance she’s writing as a ghost writer we never get to actually have any text from her first book before she was a ghost writer. Even though that book is influential in the emotional connection between two characters. Lastly, I said “it’s complicated” for having diverse characters while she may have a nonbinary innkeeper, an Asian bisexual roommate, and a gay brother, these characters weren’t really fleshed out.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent